Over my head
by CinderellaxVan
Summary: DONE! Little bit of language and some mature themes.... But it's all PG 13! XD It's Escaflowne, High School Style! Van's grades are dropping, and if they don't pick up he'll be kicked off the hockey team.... VanxHitomi! ^_^ Please Review A/U
1. Peer Tutors

**AN: Ooh! I'm taking a stab at more A/U! XD This time... High school style! Please review! ^-^ Oh, and I have this thing with music... Which is why in my last fic I made Hitomi a singer so I could put in lyrics, to show how she felt. I thought this time I'd just put little blurbs of lyrics here and there, sort of like a soundtrack for the fic. XD Oh, and to please all those Allen fans I didn't make him evil in this story. Happy? Allen's 'good' in this story. LOL Warning, there's a TINY bit of language ^^;;**

Van stared at the ground as his coach lectured him. Fingering the hockey stick in his hand, he listened as Coach Grava continued.

"Your grades are dropping Van. You're the best player on the team, but if your marks don't pick up soon, I have no choice but to kick you off the team. I know you're smart Van. You just have to try." he told the disgruntled boy in front of him.

"Try." muttered Van sarcastically. 

"Van, do you even love hockey anymore?" asked Coach Grava exasperatedly. Van felt anger boil up in him, and he flung his hockey stick to the ground.

"Dammit! You know I love hockey! It's one of the few things I treasure!" he yelled, standing up.

"Then open a damn textbook for once, and stick something in your head other than strategies!" snapped Coach Grava.

"But I can't learn French! You can't just magically understand that babble language!" Van slammed his fist into the wall.

"Then get a tutor! The school has peer tutors Van! Apply for one at the office!" Van muttered something about spending 2 hours a day with some pansy French nerd, and picked up his stick.

"Yeah, I'll do that" he remarked bitterly as he left the change room. Coach Grava shook his head in frustration and went back to the arena. 

***

Van made his way to the cafeteria and spotted Allen, Gaddes and Dryden sitting at a table. Hockey stick in hand, he made his way over. He ignored the lustful stares from several girls, and sat down.

"Hey Van, what's up?" asked Dryden, taking a bite of his burger.

"I have to get a peer tutor for French" he muttered. "That means TWO WHOLE HOURS a day with some sort of stuffy French geek" he complained, twirling the length of his hockey stick in his hand. He let it go and it fell to the ground with a crash.

"Hate to say you're wrong, but the French peer tutors are supposed to be really hot this year" Allen grinned. 

"Really?" Van looked up brightly. Allen nodded, and Van cheered up slightly. 

"I guess it's not so bad then" he concluded, and he reached over and stole a french fry from Gaddes. "So how was your date with Merle?" Van grinned. Gaddes blushed deep red, and Van's jaw hung as Gaddes refused to look up. "You didn't..." he started. Dryden and Allen looked at Van in confusion, but Van kept his gaze on Gaddes. 

"YOU DID! GADDES GOT LUCKY!!" Van yelled, and Allen and Dryden had big smiles on their faces. 

"Shut up!" Gaddes groaned, pulling the hood of his dark gray sweater up over his head.

"So how was she?" asked Allen, smirking. Gaddes looked up, trying to smother down a smile.

"She was perfect" he said seriously, "I think she's the one".

"Gaddes, big ladies man, has finally found love" Dryden grinned, and Gaddes, who usually had a confident smirk on his face had his head buried in his lunch. 

"Are you too in love to eat?" asked Van hopefully, eyeing Gaddes' untouched burger and fries. 

"Never" smiled Gaddes, and Van flopped back into his seat. 

"Do any of you have money?" he tried. They all shook their heads, and he stuck his middle finger up at them. "Greedy bastards" he grinned, and he got out of his chair. 

Merle, Hitomi, and Millerna chatted over their lunch, and didn't notice Van come over.

"And he was so cute, I could just grab him and kiss him to death" they laughed, and a voice interrupted them. 

"Please, there's enough Van to go around" he smiled, seating himself down on the one empty seat at the table. Millerna elbowed Van in the ribs, grinning.

"We were talking about my baby cousin, not you" Millerna said. Van pretended to pout, but a smile eventually appeared on his face.

Van knew Merle and Millerna since he was a baby, and they were great friends. Hitomi, however, had only come to the school that year, so he hadn't had many opportunities to talk to her. 

"Any of you want to spare the poor little boy some food or money?" he whimpered, and Millerna rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile.

"You already owe me money" she teased Van, and he gave her a puppy dog look. 

"But I paid you back with the ever lasting, loving friendship I shower you with each day!" he twinkled devilishly. Millerna laughed, and pulled the hood of Van's black sweater over his reddish brown eyes.

"I can't see the light! Where am I??" he cried, and he removed Millerna's hands from his sweater, widening his eyes in mock surprise. "Millerna! Darling! Haven't seen you in decades!" he said in a mock English accent, bringing her up in a painfully tight hug, squishing his face against hers. 

"I'll tell you, Millerna, I was lost for the LONGEST time in this dark, scary place! There seemed to little white cotton bits of fluff flying around though... And I SWEAR I saw this one piece of lint somewhere. Oh, Millerna, but when I saw you everything was RIGHT again! Don't you just LOVE Millerna?" he asked Hitomi, and she grinned at him with her lively green eyes. _She's pretty_ he mentally noted, but he kept tightening his grip on Millerna.

"Alright! Alright! You can borrow five dollars, just let go of me!" she laughed helplessly, and he let go of her. While she got her purse out, Van leaned towards Merle.

"So... Gaddes really likes you" he whispered confidentially, and Merle thwacked Van on the head, but her face turned a slight shade of pink. She tried to stutter something out, which made him laugh even more. Merle was always quick with a retort, and had a sharp tongue, but now she looked like a blubbering fool. _They really are in love_ Van smirked. 

"I....I.....L-l-l-l-lo-lo-lo-ve-love h-h-h-h-him" Van mocked Merle, and she hit him hard on the shoulder. Van laughed, and gently hugged Merle. "I'm happy for you guys" he said seriously to her.

"I know" she said softly. "Thanks for introducing us" she smiled.

"They don't call me Dr. Love for nothing" he joked, and Merle laughed, rolling her bright blue eyes. Millerna shoved a five dollar bill into Van's hands.

"Now leave us be!" she commanded, her violet eyes twinkling. 

"I know when I'm not wanted" he grinned. "Thanks, 'lerna" he whispered quietly behind her into her ear, and she patted his arm.

"No problem" she smiled, and he headed towards the lunch line. 

***

Appetite satisfied, Van headed towards the office. He noticed a large yellow sign with the words "Peer Tutors! ^_^" written in glittery green letters, and he looked closer at the sign.

PEER TUTORS! ^_^  
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO REQUEST A PEER TUTOR!  
PLEASE SPEAK TO MRS. COSTELLA FOR DETAILS.

Van opened the doors to the office and sat down on a chair. A few moments later, a secretary came bustling to her desk.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

"Um... I was wondering where Mrs. Costella was" he mumbled.

"Mrs. Costella? She'd be in her classroom right now. Drama room, room 206"

"Okay, thanks" he replied, and headed to the 2nd floor. _202...203...204...205....Here we go. 206_ Van thought. He knocked cautiously on the painted door, and opened it. A woman, about 35, sat at her desk, dark auburn hair in a loose bun, sharp hazel eyes concentrating on her paper.

"Mrs. Costella?" The woman looked up, and placed her pen on the table.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to apply for a peer tutor, if that's possible" Van said politely. She opened one of her heavy metal desk drawers, and took out a clip board. 

"For what subject?" she asked, eyes frowning slightly at the clip board.

"French"

"Okay, we have a spot for you. Name, and home form?" she looked up at him.

"Van Fanel, 11B" She wrote something on her paper.

"Okay, Van. Your peer tutor is Hitomi Kanzaki, her homeroom is 11G. It's your job to find her and set up a schedule. Two hours at least 3 times a week is necessary, but we find it to be more helpful to meet everyday." _Hitomi's a peer tutor? Well this will give me a chance to get to know her. _

"Thanks" he told her, and left the room.

***

Somehow, Van lasted the day without dying of boredom, and he walked over to the area where Merle, Millerna, and Hitomi kept their lockers, backpack slung over his shoulder. He leaned against her locker, headphones blaring, and he watched the hallway. After about 2 songs, he saw Hitomi coming down the hallway alone, and he straightened up.

"Hey Van" she said, surprised.

"Hey 'tomi, guess what?" he jumped up and down after removing his headphones.

"What?" she asked, slightly amused.

"You're my peer tutor!" he smiled broadly. 

"Oh, I remember Mrs. Costella telling me you were my student now. Aren't you lucky you have me as a tutor and not Nadine?" she grinned. "She requested to tutor you, but Mrs. Costella said she should save her talents for students who really need her help. She had such a fit" she added, laughing.

"Who could not want to tutor me?" Van joked, gently nudging Hitomi. She gently hit him on the head, and he smiled. "Want to grab a cup of coffee? I could really use some" suggested Van.

"Sure" she smiled, and they headed to Starbucks after Hitomi grabbed her purse from her locker. They both got a regular sized coffee, and sat down on a chair.

"So, having trouble with French?" she grinned slightly.

"Yeah" he admitted bashfully, ruffling his black raven hair. "If my marks don't improve, I'm getting kicked off the hockey team. I think I pretty much grasp the whole English, Math, and Science deal, but it's French I have trouble understanding" Hitomi nodded slightly, blowing the steam gently across her styrofoam cup. 

"I almost forgot you were on the hockey team" she admitted.

"Yeah, most of the school's support goes to the football and basketball team" Van remarked bitterly, saying the words football and basketball as if they disgusted him.

"I'm sorry" Hitomi said quietly. "I'll try to come to watch you sometime" she promised, and his reddish brown eyes lit up.

"Really?" he asked. Hitomi nodded, grinning, and Van smiled broadly.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me." Hitomi blushed, and drained her cup.

"Okay, so when are you free?" she asked.

"Um... Mornings are better because hockey practice is usually after school"

"That means we have to meet at 7" she groaned, slumping down in her seat.

"You know I'm worth it" he grinned, and her green eyes sparkled. 

"Fine, fine" she surrendered, lifting her hands up in the air slightly but smiling. "So do you want to start tomorrow?"

"Sounds good" nodded Van. "Oh, I've always wanted to know. What do the peer tutors get in exchange for tutoring people?"

"They get a credit" replied Hitomi. "I really need it for my university application"

"Oh? And what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A sports doctor" she blushed. "Just watching all those killer injuries on TV, I want to help those poor guys out" she grinned. "Plus they're cute"

"Maybe you'll be helping me out then" Van grinned. "I want to be a hockey player when I grow up, and we all know that I'm cute" he winked, and Hitomi threw her napkin at him. 

"What?" asked Van innocently. "I'm sexy, I'm cute, I'm popular to boot!" he started to sing loudly, and Hitomi laughed, putting her finger to her lips.

"Shush! People are staring!" 

"Stifling the student?" Van asked, pretending to be shocked. "And what kind of teacher are you?" Hitomi was about to reply when Van interrupted her. "I'm bitching, great hair, the--" he continued, until Hitomi reached over the table and clamped her hand firmly over his mouth. Van removed her hand, and laughed, his eyes twinkling. 

"If you want me to kiss you, Hitomi, just ask, because I can't do much justice by kissing your palm." laughed Van devilishly, as Hitomi's green eyes widened, and she thwacked him on the head. 

"You're impossible" she smiled, and he moved his eyebrows up and down as he drained his cup of coffee.

"Not impossible, merely difficult" he grinned, and she shook her head. Suddenly there was a beeping noise, and Hitomi looked at her pager.

"Uh oh, I've got to head home. I'll see you tomorrow morning.... Where?"

"Um, how about..." Van thought. The thought of the library brought shudders to him, and he thought of a possible place to meet that would be quiet, but nice to work in. He suddenly perked up. "The hockey arena! It opens at like 5 in the morning, no one's ever there, and we can sit on the bleachers, and it will motivate me to work because what I'm working for will be right in front of me!" he concluded, pleased with his brilliant idea.

"Freezing cold at 7 am" muttered Hitomi. "The things I do for you" she groaned, and he gave her the same squishing hug he gave to Millerna earlier. 

"You're the BEST, Hitomi!" he twinkled.

"Gotta go now" she choked out from his strong grip, and he let her go. 

"See you tomorrow" he waved, and she smiled at him as she left.

**AN: So... What did you think? *cowers* Muahaha, Van's quite the cocky one in this story XD No lyric blurbs yet, but once those "feelings" start bubbling up I'll add some *grins* Anyways, tell me what you think! ^-^ I know this fic is very bubbly right now, but it WILL thicken! ^_________________________^ **


	2. Boys

**AN: Yeah, Van's a lot more cockier in this story ^^;; But when things get serious, he'll still be forward, but less cocky XD I plan to make this a looooong fan fiction, so don't expect any serious V/H yet! *grins evilly* Muahaha.... *pats fan fic* This will be my baby for a while, so review and review! ^______^**

**Neostar22: Haha, I didn't know before that I didn't accept anonymous reviews! ^^;; Whoopsies, I changed it though! Thanks! ^_^  
Dariel: Thanko! I like the cocky Van too XD I've seen him portrayed as a more cocky character, and I loved it! So here's my try at cocky Van ^^;;  
LOVE WITCH: Yup, very different attitude, imagine Van trying to hug Millerna and tease Hitomi about kissing her? *imagines how other Van would react... Rolls on floor laughing* Poor Van XD  
Magicman/Smokegirl: *grins like a moron* Hehe *blushes* Thanko!   
SabineballZ(): Hehe, the page is from her mom, haha, sorry I didn't make that clear... She was going to be late for dinner! XD**

Hitomi groaned inwardly as her alarm sounded. She rolled over and clumsily hit it, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Rolling out of bed, she stretched out her arms, and stumbled into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth vigorously, gargled with mouth wash and washed her face with warm water. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she grabbed her brush and made her hair smooth, and put a touch of lip gloss and mascara. _I can't BELIEVE I'm waking up at 6:30 to tutor Van..._ she thought, occasionally hitting herself to stay awake. She kept her hair down, which was slightly below her shoulder, and changed from her pajamas into hip huggers and a red zip up hoodie. She grabbed her school bag, a granola bar from the cupboard, and left the house after yelling 'goodbye' to her family. 

***

Finishing up her granola bar, Hitomi threw the wrapper into the arena entrance's garbage can, and felt the temperature drop slightly as she pushed the doors open. She walked into the stands, and spotted Van on the top row in the far left, headphones on, eyes shut. She smiled, and made her way over to him. Prodding him in the side with her index finger, Van woke up with a jolt. 

"Who? What? Huh.... Oh, Hitomi" he stammered out. The devilish gleam returned to his tired eyes, and he straightened up.

"Au revoir!" he said with a proud grin. A large sweat drop appeared over Hitomi's head.

"Um...Van? Au revoir is goodbye. Bonjour is hello" 

"Oh. I knew that." 

"Okay, Van. Let's review the basics. And I mean the BASICS."

"Kay." 

"What are the 10 pronouns?" Van stared at her blankly. 

"The 10 what?"

"Pronouns" Van continued to stare at her blankly. 

"You know, like 'I', 'You', 'He', etc" 

"Oh. Um.... No clue" Hitomi groaned inwardly.

"'Je' is I. 'Tu' is you. 'Il' is he. 'Elle' is her. 'On' is one. 'Qui' is who. 'Nous' is we. 'Vous' is you as an important person, such as a teacher, or you as a group."

"Ah! There's two you's?" Van complained. Hitomi nodded.

"'Tu' is for one person, and casually. 'Vous' is for many people, or one important person" '

"Gotcha" Van said, desperate to understand everything.

"'Ils' is they, as in a group of guys. 'Elles' is they, as in a group of girls."

"What if there are girls and guys?"

"Then it's automatically 'Ils'"

"What if there's 5 thousand girls and 1 guy?"

"It's still 'Ils'" 

"So it's only 'Elles' if there's ALL girls?"

"Yup"

"That's pretty sexist. How will we ever rid the world of the message that men are more dominant then women?" Van grinned. Hitomi rolled her green eyes, but she couldn't help but let a smile spread on her face.

"Okay, so can you repeat that for me?" Hitomi asked Van. 

"Um.....Could you repeat that?" Van asked, grinning as two sweat drops appeared over his head. _This is going to be a long, long, LONG tiresome journey_ Hitomi thought. 

***

At the end of the lesson Van could say all the 10 pronouns, count up to 20 in French, recite the alphabet, and how to distinguish if a word was masculine or feminine by looking at the article. He could also conjugate regular "ER" verbs. And he knew how to say hockey in French. And how to say 'I play hockey' in French. And puck in French. And hockey arena. And goalie. And ice. The two walked out of the hockey arena together, and headed down the block towards the school. 

"You know, they should pave over the football field and turn it into a hockey arena so we don't have to rent the Palas one." Van thought aloud. 

"I don't think too many people would be happy" Hitomi smiled. Van smiled softly, and turned his gaze to the floor. He fell almost silent, and Hitomi felt slightly nervous at his silence. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Who, me? Of course" said Van, forcing a smile on his face.

"You sure?" she pressed.

"Never been surer." Hitomi nodded, and the two kept walking quietly. 

***

Hitomi knocked on Mrs. Costella's door.

"You wanted to speak to me?" she asked.

"Yes, I've decided to set up a new option for the peer tutors. It's going to be a bit hard at first, but this way your student will be more likely to increase his or her grade by 10%, guaranteeing you that credit." Hitomi waited for her to continue. "It's not mandatory, but we're giving you the option of rearranging your schedule so you have the class in which you are tutoring your student for at the same time. That way, you'll know exactly where the student is, what they have trouble with, and whether it's that they're not concentrating or they really don't understand it." Hitomi nodded, and considered. 

"Well....." she started.

"We did this a few years ago, and over 85% of the peer tutors received their credit. When we took away that option, only about 70% of the peer tutors got their credit." Hitomi knew she needed, well in the actual fact WANTED this credit badly, and she nodded.

"Sounds great. When will my new schedule be in place?" 

"In a week. I'll talk to Mr. Hathmore, the head counselor."

"Okay, thanks."

*** 

"Hey Dilandau, haven't seen you in a while" called Allen. A boy with silver hair walked over to the boys' table, grinning.

"Hey guys. Yeah, I've been sick" he said, plopping down in a chair. 

"Dilandau! My long lost baby brother! I've missed you!" came a voice from behind them. Dilandau stuck up his middle finger at Van, and they both grinned. 

Most people in the school thought that Van and Dilandau hated each other, when the truth was that they were close friends. They had originally got off on the wrong foot, when Van accidentally slashed Dilandau on the face with his hockey stick during a game. But they had gotten over their differences, and now his scar was one of Dilandau's proudest possessions, along with his silver hair.

"How was your game last night?" asked Dilandau, who was -almost- as big of a hockey fan as Van.

"I didn't get to play. I'm not allowed to for 3 games" muttered Van.

"WHAT?!" burst out Dilandau, clenching his fist.

"Coach Grava says I'm suspended for 3 games, and if I don't pick up my marks he's kicking me off the team."

"But you're the bloody captain!"

"I know. He plans to make Andrew the captain if I get kicked off."

"Andrew Robinson? THAT PANSY?" yelled Dilandau, incredulously.

"Yeah, so I understand English, Math, and Science all good--"

"All FINE" corrected Dryden, smirking.

"Slip of the tongue" Van grinned. "As I was saying, all FINE, except for French."

"Shit, so what are you going to do?"

"I've got myself a hot French tutor" Van smiled broadly.

"Really? Who?"

"Hitomi Kanzaki" he announced proudly. "Not a bad teacher"

"That girl? She only came here a month ago right?"

"Yep" 

"Damn, she's hot. Lucky bastard" grinned Dilandau. "Where's Gaddes anyways?"

"He's over there, sitting with Merle" Van smirked. Dilandau's gaze went to where Van was pointing, and he saw Merle and Gaddes sitting alone at a table. 

"Did he--" Dilandau started with a smirk.

"He did" interrupted Van, grinning. Dilandau's eyes widened.

"Is she the one? He's looking at her like she's a piece of rocky road pie with whipped cream on top! He usually stares at girls like they're a piece of meat"

"You and your food comparisons" Allen laughed Dilandau grinned proudly.

"He thinks so. We've lost him, little brother!" Van fake sobbed into Dilandau's sleeve.

"Get off me, you twit" laughed Dilandau, and Van noticed Millerna and Hitomi leaving the lunch line, in search for a table. 

"Millerna! Hitomi!" yelled Van. The two girls looked at his direction, and smiled, walking over. "Eat with us, let the lovers have some privacy" grinned Van, motioning at Merle and Gaddes.

"Is there enough room?" Millerna said uncertainly, but smiling nonetheless. 

"Pull up a chair, we'll be as snug as a bug in a rug" Van twinkled.

"This is what we go through everyday" groaned Allen, half laughing. Millerna smiled at Allen. Hitomi grabbed a chair from the next table, and Van and Millerna scooched their chairs over to make room for her. Her leg grazed his, and her shoulder was very close to his. Van felt a slight warmth go through his body, and inhaled his burger to distract himself. Dilandau watched Van carefully, his eyes gleaming.

"So, Hitomi, I hear you're Van's tutor" grinned Dilandau. Van gave Dilandau an evil stare, but Dilandau merely grinned even more. 

"Yeah, and next week my schedule's being rearranged so I'll have French class with him" replied Hitomi.

"Really?" blurted out Van brightly. "Uh, I mean, why?" he added gruffly, as Dilandau smirked at him.

"Mrs. Costella said the chances of you improving will be increased, and that way I'll most likely get my credit"

"Oh, so it's not just to see me" Van pouted, hiding a grin. Hitomi blushed slightly, and Van turned light red.

"Hitomi, can you come to the bathroom with me?" asked Millerna suddenly. 

"Uh, sure" she said, and they left.

"Why do girls always travel in packs to the bathroom?" complained Dryden, shaking his head.

"Who knows" said Van, taking a sip of his pop. Dilandau, however cackled evilly.

"You like her, don't you?" he accused.

"Who?"

"Don't pretend you don't know. HITOMI, dumbass" _Dammit Dilandau, why do you have to know me so well?_

"Um.... Hitomi who?" asked Van.

"You love her!" Dilandau yelled, grinning like mad.

"Alert the media, why don't you" Van muttered. Dilandau slapped him on the back. 

"I give you my seal of approval" 

"Like I need YOUR approval" grinned Van, and the two smirked. 

"But I think she likes you"

"Really?" he asked.

"I think it's obvious" stated Dryden, smiling.

"Ask her to the dance" suggested Allen, and Van shook his head smiling, popping a french fry into his mouth. 

***

"Hitomi, do you have a thing for Van?" asked Millerna once they were out of ear shot. 

"N-n-no, why?" asked Hitomi, blushing.

"Well, usually he's a cocky, arrogant bastard, but with you he was acting relatively normal" she grinned. "And I've never seen your face so red before"

"I don't!" Hitomi insisted, although her mind and body were telling her differently. 

"It's okay if you do, he's actually really sweet" Millerna coaxed Hitomi, determined to be matchmaker. 

"I honestly don't" Hitomi assured Millerna. _But you do, Hitomi... _"Okay, maybe I have a tiny, tiny, TINY crush. But that's all, in fact I'm already over him." Millerna nodded, but her violet eyes were twinkling. 

The girls returned to the table, and for the rest of the lunch Millerna and Dilandau shot glances at Hitomi and Van, while the two blushed like mad, keeping their eyes on their food.

***

A week later, Hitomi entered Van's French class third period. He smiled at her, and the teacher placed her in the desk beside him.

"Bonjour, classe. Au jour d'hui, nous avons une etudiant nouvelle, Hitomi Kanzaki (Hello, class. Today we have a new student, Hitomi Kanzaki."

"Salut, Hitomi" the entire class said in unison. 

"Alors..." the teacher began. "I will revert to English to make sure you understand your assignment. With the person beside you, you will study one aspect of French culture. The choices are Love, Food, Architecture, and People. I will give each group it's topic. If you get 1, you are Love. 2, Food. 3, Architecture, and 4, People. The entire project will be in French of course, and I expect this to be done in 2 weeks." 

The teacher walked down the rows, giving each pairing a number. 

"Mr. Fanel and Ms. Kanzaki, you are 2, food." Hitomi looked over at Van, who nodded. The teacher finished numbering off all the pairs.

"Voila. Okay, class. You may brainstorm for the rest of the class. Push your desks together" Hitomi pushed her desk so it was facing Van.

"So--" she began, until a guy from the table next to theirs called her name. He had golden brown hair, and blue eyes. He was handsome, in a squeaky clean sort of way, but not at all like Van. Van was almost exotic, he had the looks of the dark and mysterious. His unruly black hair, the grin that easily spread on his face, the devilish twinkle in his eyes, his strong arms crushing her to death made her go warm. Still, this guy _was _veryattractive, Hitomi thought.

"Are you Hitomi?" he asked.

"Uh, yes, who are you?" she asked, turning slightly towards him.

"I'm Jacob Uchida. Nice to meet you. I've seen you around, but I never had an excuse to talk to you" Hitomi blushed slightly, not noticing Van's eyes darken. 

_Uchida, what the hell do you think you're doing?_ he glared at Jacob.

"Nice to meet you too" Hitomi replied, and Jacob smiled at her. "I haven't seen you before though" she added apologetically. 

"That's probably because I spend most of my time at the Palas Arena" he told her. "I train there"

"Oh, do you play hockey too?" she asked.

"No, I think hockey's a stupid sport. I train there for the football team" Van clenched his fist, steeling his jaw. _Ignore him, Van. Don't let him know he got to you._ Hitomi looked over at Van, who appeared to be emotionless. His eyes however, were dark and alight with a flame. 

"I like hockey" Hitomi said quietly, and Jacob laughed.

"A pretty girl like you like sports where they push a piece of rubber around with sticks? Football's a real Gaean sport, the thrill of the outdoors, the sun pouring down on you, the way the ball arcs through the air... Now that's a sport." 

"I guess... I do like football" she admitted, and she was about to continue how she still loved hockey, but Jacob interrupted her. 

"Cool" he said with a smile. "Yeah, hockey is for losers" Hitomi didn't know what to say, she tried to think of a way to respond without hurting Jacob or Van's feelings. She snuck a glance at Van, who's eyes were hurt, but when they met her own they suddenly turned icy. Van looked down, and Hitomi slowly returned her gaze to Jacob. She opened her mouth to reply, when he stopped her.

"The school team's doing pretty badly, I heard."

"That's because there captain's been away" said Hitomi quietly. "And they're not doing that badly."

"Still, even with their captain, they're pretty bad. They should change their team name from the Black Hawks to the Gray Pigeons"

"Um..." said Hitomi. She smothered on a weak smile. "Maybe they just need support."

"Maybe, but I doubt it. I should be working though, I'll see you around" Jacob said warmly, turning back towards his partner.

"Uh, see you around" blushed Hitomi, and he winked at her. She turned to Van, who was writing furiously in his binder, not looking up at her. 

"So..." she started awkwardly, and he ripped out the piece of paper and slammed it on the desk. The page was full of ideas, written in his messy writing.

"There, I thought we'd focus on French pastries, because my mom has tons of books on them, she makes them in her spare time." he said tensely, trying to keep his anger and jealousy at bay by twirling his pen in his fingers. He took a deep breath, and met her green eyes with an intense gaze.

"Oh...Good idea" she said. "Do you want to meet after school to work on it?"

"I've got hockey practice" said Van "I have to ask Madame Dupre something" and he got up, leaving her alone. 

_What did I do wrong?_ Hitomi asked herself at Van's sudden mood swing.

***

"Hey, Hitomi" a voice called. 

"Oh, hi Jacob" said Hitomi, surprised.

"Listen, do you want to hang out sometime? Maybe go to the dance with me" he said slowly, giving her a dazzling smile. 

"Um..." Hitomi started.

"It will be fun" he coaxed. "Please?" He gave her a sad face.

"Oh alright" she laughed slightly, and he nodded.

"Great! I'll pick you up the night of the dance at 7"

"Sounds great". 

Van walked down the hall with Allen, and was talking about Allen's new car, when he stopped dead in his tracks. Jacob and Hitomi were talking, and she was a faint pink. _God she's pretty_ thought Van. Her lips were shiny with gloss, and her green eyes sparkled. He knew no makeup could ever replicate that sparkle. She was leaning against her locker, and Jacob was hovering close by her. She looked slightly nervous, but not in an "I'm afraid of him" way, more in a "I'm in love" sort of way. At least that's how it appeared to Van.

"Great! I'll pick you up the night of the dance at 7" he heard Jacob yell. As Jacob passed by Van, he shot Van a triumphant look. Van glared daggers, and Allen nudged Van.

"Come on, he's not worth it" Van nodded his head, and continued walking, shooting one neutral glance at Hitomi.

***

After school, Van and Dilandau decided to hang out in Van's back yard, which was littered with tennis balls and hockey sticks. They set up the old hockey net, and began to practice shots. Van held his hockey stick as he aimed at the net, Dilandau deflecting his shots. Van stopped for a moment, and picked up the tennis ball. 

"It's just... Dammit! Why did she take Uchida's side?"

"I don't know, Van. But if you want I can kick Uchida's ass." Dilandau grinned, eager for some violence. "I haven't had an excuse to hurt someone in a while"

"It's okay." Van walked over to the net, and leaned against the post. "It's just... She was blushing and shit with him. With me, she was nice, for sure, but... She was acting normally. With Uchida, she was all speechless and flowery" He threw his stick to the ground.

"Well, she's a stupid bitch is she doesn't like you. Unless, of course, she likes me over you, then she's smart" grinned Dilandau. Van smiled softly at Dilandau, and Dilandau held back his jokes. He hadn't seen Van serious about a girl in a while. "You really like her, don't you?" Dilandau asked.

"Well, if she likes Jacob Uchida, I can't do much about it. She said yes to him when he asked her to the dance"

"You could kill him?"

"And then she'd hate me forever. Face it Dilandau, she wants the pretty boy. Not stupid Van who likes hockey and can't learn shit."

"So what are you saying? Are you giving up?"

"Yeah." 

Dilandau shook his head, but thought girls were stupid anyways.

"Well, then I guess we'd better get you over her" Dilandau smirked. "How about we start with a nice session of hockey? You get to play soon, right?"

"Yeah"

"So shoot, buckaroo."

"You're starting to sound like me" grinned Van, and Dilandau laughed. "Thanks, little brother" Van said seriously.

"No problem" Dilandau replied. Van lined up his shot, and the tennis ball shot into the net between Dilandau's legs. Van smiled slightly, and grabbed another tennis ball from the ground.

"I was going easy on you" grinned Dilandau.

"Suuuuuure" replied Van, and he prepared to slap another tennis ball into the net.

**AN: Muahaha.... The next chapter will be.... The dance! *ooh* And no! It will NOT be that Jacob cheats on Hitomi and Van saves the day! This fic will be a long, emotional roller coaster! XD Please review! I'm not ecstatic with this chapter, but I have to include this to introduce the next one! Sowee! ^_____^ Please review!**


	3. Square Dance

**AN: Haha, just wanted to clarify that Dilandau is not ACTUALLY Van's little brother, it's just their sort of "bond" and "nickname" for each other. No one thought that yet (or at least they didn't ask me), but I'm just clarifying! XD FF.net has been acting oddly @_@ I'm not making any money off the song lyrics I use, and the hockey players names I use are made up too ^-^ (Er, it's coincidence if there ARE hockey players matching the names I used)**

**Me: **Haha, I've always wanted to try Escaflowne High School style! XD  
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Yeah, I don't like Jacob at all (even as a character XD) So I plan to kill him off! Haha  
**Ruby: **Sorry! I wish I could make Van and Hitomi be together, but then this fic would end too soon! XD I swear I'll make things up by TONS of Van and Hitomi fluff later! Sorry! ^^;;  
**PrincessCool:** Haha, yay! I feel special ^-^ Now go update your story! XD  
**MaboroshiTsuki: **Yay! Go emotional roller coasters! Even though I'm killing off Jacob *hehe* I'm still not going to smack those two together! Not till the very end will they actually -be- together! MUAHAHA! But there will be moments..... ^_~ Fluffy moments!  
**SabineballZ:** Sorry! I couldn't make Van and Hitomi be together right away! ^^;; But I swear they will be by the end! And I'm going to add some fluffy moments too! Lots of them! I just have to wait till the middle ^^;;  
**Taya: **Thanks! I loved the romance between V/H too! ^____^

"I'll see you at the dance" Millerna shouted before turning down the road towards her house. Hitomi kept walking down the street after waving bye to Millerna, and after about 5 minutes she reached her house. She unlocked the door and walked into the sunny kitchen. A yellow post-it was stuck to the fridge, and she peeled it off after setting down her back pack.

Hitomi, I'm going to be working late tonight so you'll have to   
make your own dinner before heading to that dance of yours.  
Your father is coming home tomorrow from Fried, so could you  
be a dear and buy a turkey tomorrow from the supermarket?  
I've left the money on the counter.

-Love, Mom XOXO

Hitomi stuck the note back on the fridge, and opened the cupboard. She quickly whipped up some instant noodles, and washed the dishes, stomach full. She bounded up the carpeted stairs to her room, and changed into a green halter top and a vintage calf length jean skirt. Opening a jar of cold shimmer cream, Hitomi dabbed a bit on her cheek bones, while letting her thoughts wander.

_I think Jacob's sweet. He's attractive and just because he doesn't like hockey doesn't mean I can't like him. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. And he seems to be smart, at least in French, and he's cute, and he's nice to me, and he has manners and everything's just perfect. I couldn't be happier. Everything's perfect! Perfect! Parfait, in French!   
_Are you trying to convince yourself something, Hitomi?  
_No.  
_Is Jacob the one you really want?  
_Yes, of course.  
_But what about another certain hockey player that causes you to blush bright red every single time you see him?   
_He does not--_ Hitomi started, and then she stopped. 

_I'm having a fight with myself_ she thought wryly, shaking her head, and she screwed the jar shut. She brushed her straight hair till it shone, and she slipped on her green satin sandals. Turning around in front of the mirror, she smiled at her reflection. 

***

Van, Dilandau, and Millerna were hanging around in Van's living room. 

"Just go" Millerna and Dilandau chorused, who were both collapsed on a tan suede couch, trying to persuade Van to come with them to the dance. 

"No" huffed Van, stubbornly, crossing his arms, sitting in a black arm chair.

"Dances always cheer you up" coaxed Millerna. 

"Come on" Dilandau whined. "If you don't go, I can't go. And if I can't go, Millerna can't go."

"Excuse me?" Millerna interrupted. "Who said you two could stop me?" she grinned.

"You know Van! He'll be giving us looks for a week, and sending us his stupid telepathic guilt trips!" teased Dilandau. Van fought a smile from appearing on his face.

"Fine, I'll go to the dance and have fun, possibly getting me over this state of longing. But I'm only doing this for you guys" Van grinned, getting up.

"I think he's coming back" Millerna nudged Dilandau.

"Shhhh! Don't scare odd, freaky, usual Van away, or slightly depressed Van may come back!" Dilandau whispered as loudly as he could. Van punched a smirking Dilandau in the stomach, and they all climbed into Van's car. 

***

Dilandau went off towards the DJ, his friend Robbie, and Millerna went off in search of Merle and Hitomi. Van stood idly beside the punch bowl, when someone nearly pushed him into it.

"VAN!" said a cheery voice. Van turned around.

"Hey Merle" he grinned, prying her off him. "Where's Gaddes? He didn't actually leave your side for more than 5 seconds did he?" Van gasped. "Knowing I could easily use my manly charms to win you over" he smirked. Merle hit Van on the head, and he rubbed it, grinning. "So where is he, anyways?" 

"Sick" pouted Merle.

"What happened?" smiled Van.

"Well..." started Merle, blushing.

"Come on" coaxed Van, grinning expectantly. She took a deep breath.

"We were slow dancing in the rain and..." Merle trailed off, turning fire engine red. "It wasn't as corny as it sounds--" she tried to defend herself, but Van was laughing hysterically. 

"Hahahaha" he laughed, as he gasped for air. The thought of "slick, cool, confident" Gaddes dancing in the rain with one of his best friends, who happened to be a hopeless romantic, WILLINGLY, brought tears of mirth to his eyes. "You actually convinced him to slow dance in the rain with you??" he choked out.

"Oh you're impossible" said Merle exasperatedly. A memory hit him like a thunderbolt, and Van instantly calmed down. He remembered the day at Starbucks when Hitomi had said those exact words. 

"Hey, you okay?" Merle asked softly at Van's sudden distant look. 

"Yeah, fine" said Van. He covered up with a grin, and smiled warmly.

"Well...If you're sure. I just came to ask Hitomi something, then I have to go and take care of Gaddes" Merle called over her shoulder, a twinkle lighting up her blue eyes. Van nodded, and tossed his plastic punch cup into the garbage. 

***

"Would you like to dance?" asked Jacob, smiling. Hitomi felt her cheeks glow, and she nodded. The song blared from the speakers, and Hitomi rested her head gently on Jacob's shoulder. 

_Hold on to the light that guides you,   
Hold on to the air that cools you,   
Hold on, hold on to me..._

Van watched from the shadows as Jacob's hand rested on the small of Hitomi's back. 

_And then my eyes stretched out,   
As I saw her hand slip away..._

He averted his eyes, and was about to leave the dance when Millerna grabbed his shoulder.

"Uh uh, not so fast" she grinned. "Are you going to leave me alone on the dance floor?" she teased. Van smiled, and she pulled him into the middle of the floor. "It's okay, she'll see who he really is sooner or later." she whispered into his ear.

"Why can't he be a cheating bastard, and then she'd run into my arms, making this so much more easier" Van complained, while the two slowly turned on the spot. 

"Well, he's a bastard, that's a start" Millerna smiled. 

"True, but he's a smart bastard" he grinned.

"If you'd just let me--"

"No, Millerna"

"Please?"

"No. As long as she's happy, I'm fine."

"But look at her. Do you honestly think she's happy?" Van looked over Millerna's shoulder at Hitomi. Her green eyes were softened, and her cheek was resting against Jacob's chest. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and she seemed to be only focused on him, nothing else. Her eyes suddenly looked up at him, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Yes" Van said confidently, hiding his slight unease. 

_...Hold on, hold on to me._

The song ended, and Millerna gave Van a tight squeeze on the arm. 

"I'm going to go look for Dilandau" and she went off. Van leaned against the wall, and a female voice spoke.

"Bored, too?" she asked. Van looked at the speaker. She had bright red hair, and brown eyes. She had a friendly look about her, so Van grinned. He nodded.

"I'm Yukari" she introduced herself.

"I'm Van. Want to hang around outside for a bit?" he suggested, looking for any excuse to get some fresh air.

"Sounds great" she said, and they headed outside. 

***

"And then he got checked in the wall--"

"--and then shit! Did you see that gash on his face? Then Maldiegh tripped over Solnicki--"

"--the puck flew in the air--"

"--then Orgon tried to pass it to Bates--"

"--Ginga intercepted it--"

"--and WHAM! Into--"

"--the net" finished Yukari. Van and Yukari laughed. 

"That was a great game" smiled Van. Yukari and Van had been chatting away for about an hour, sitting on a picnic bench outside the school. There was no chemistry, they both knew, but a great friendship could be formed. They had started off slowly, exchanging small talk, when they landed on the subject of hockey. Then they had blabbered on and on, never stopping. Suddenly Yukari's ears perked up, and she put her finger to her lips.

"...Is that square dance music?" she asked, grinning moronically.

"Let's go!" said Van excitedly, and they ran like kids back to the dance.

_Sixteen hands and roll that wheel, the more you dance, the better you feel  
Now drop your hands and fall in line, ladies in the lead and the gents behind  
Step right back and watch her smile, step right up and swing her awhile..._

Yukari, Van, Millerna, and Dilandau were all swinging around, having the time of their lives. They linked arms, skipped around, clapped, and do-si-doed. Several people were staring at Millerna, Van, and Dilandau in awe. The most popular people in the school was square dancing. Dilandau picked up Millerna by the waist as Van did the same for Yukari, and both guys lifted the girls up into the air, twirling them around. 

Hitomi watched with Jacob on the sidelines, and longed to join them. 

"How immature" Jacob remarked, rolling his blue eyes. He put his arm around Hitomi's shoulder. "I can't BELIEVE my sister is embarrassing me like this" 

"Your sister?" asked Hitomi.

"The one with the red hair" Hitomi frowned at Yukari who was being twirled around by Van, who seemed to be extremely happy. His eyes were twinkling, and she felt a slight pang of jealousy hit her. "She's a hockey freak too" he sighed. Hitomi frowned slightly at the comment. 

Yukari and Millerna skipped around the boys, and switched places. Millerna grinned happily at Van, who seemed to be back to normal. She thought of saying 'See? Dances do cheer you up' but she feared it might ruin the moment, so she kept her mouth shut. As the girls got into a row, and the guys got into a row facing the girls, they all took 3 skips back, then 3 skips forward to meet again. Then they all paired off and swung around, linking arms. Surprisingly, over half the dance floor was joining them, matching them step for step. 

"I guess learning square dancing from Mr. Lindenhurst paid off" Yukari grinned at Dilandau, speaking of their gym teacher. Dilandau grinned back.

"Your hair's cool. It's like the color of fire" Dilandau remarked. Yukari smiled shyly.

"You're one to talk. Look at your hair. It's silver!" Yukari laughed. Dilandau smiled proudly, and the two looked at each other for a moment, then looked away, blushing. 

Van nudged Millerna. "Love's struck Dilly boy" he smirked while linking arms with her. Millerna's eyes widened with glee. 

"Everyone's getting hooked up! All we need to do is pair off you and me!" Millerna beamed. "Say.... Can you set me up with Allen?" she pleaded, giving him a puppy dog look. 

"Haha, like  you need setting up. You know he likes you. Just be a big girl and ask him" Van teased. Millerna pouted, but broke into a smile. 

"Jerk" she laughed.

"Who, me?" said Van, raising his eyebrows in mock shock.

"Yes you" she grinned, and he grinned back, while the four of them danced the night away.

**AN: *cowers from everyone* I tried my best! Everyone told me to hitch Van and Hitomi together, but I CAN'T! Don't worry! Later in the story there will be MOUNDS and MOUNDS of Van and Hitomi action! (get your mind out of the gutter, not that kind of action, this is rated PG 13 XD) Please review! In the next chapter... Jealousy arises! Fights occur! And more of Jacob's true side.... Puahaha! Okay, Jacob is pissing me off, so I think I'm going to get rid of him soon XD**


	4. Lights

**AN: Muahaha, okay, okay, so this fic isn't AS long as I thought it would be. As you see, I have no patience, so XD But Jacob's still around! *woo* I'm trying to think of a way for Hitomi to dump Jacob without him cheating on her... Any ideas? I want it to be something that makes Jacob a bastard... Not just because he's controlling or mean, something like cheating on her... But not @_@ Anyways, I'll try to sort that out...... Please Review! ^_^ *suddenly has ideas for fluffy V/H scenes...* This fic will be longer then my last one (8 chapters) but it won't be very long, like 20 chapters @_@ I also edited Chapter 3 because of MaboroshiTsuki's comments! ^-^**

**SailorHope: ***waves Van and Hitomi banner in the air* Yay! ^___^ I wish I could get Dilly to beat up Jacob ;_; *suddenly has idea* But I THINK (it's a POSSIBILITY) that Van beats up Jacob XD XD  
**PrincessCool:** I am proud! I feel so special ^_^ Your story's in my favorite stories list XD UPDATE! Vite! (That means quickly in French XD)  
**MaboroshiTsuki: **I edited Chapter 3 to try to make it less "rushed" XD Van is less hung over her now! LOL Hehe, thanks! The idea for Dilandau's scar just popped in my head! ^^;;  
**LOVE WITCH: **Hehe, yeah, Dilly's much different in this fic then the series @_@ But later I'm going to flare a bit of his violent side up XD (to Jacob of course ^_~)  
**Dariel:** Haha, I didn't kill Jacob off this chapter ;_; But I plan to next chapter! *cheers* ^_______^ Hehe, I like this Dilly too =p  
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Hehe, I couldn't kill him off this chapter! Or the fic would end REALLY soon! So *holds out pinky* I pinky swear next chapter he'll be gone! XD Hehe, I haven't seen a Y/D pairing before @_@ ^^;;  
**=): **I like the idea too! XD Yup, fluffy love at first sight is a reoccuring theme of mine! I can't bear to see Van and Hitomi not being together for long periods of time! ^^;;   
**Newbie GK: **Haha, thanks! Hehe, yup! Yukari and Dilandau are definitely together! XD Van and Hitomi all the way! Haha, I know, making him cheat on her was too simple @_@  
**Me: **Hehe, I LOVE HOCKEY! Not a big fan of football ^^;; I don't like Jacob either. He will be gone next chapter! XD  
**DivineDiscontent: **Hehe, thanks! I didn't know I had the capabilities of keeping people interested ^^;; Yup, I tried to not make them together right away =)  
  


Hitomi smiled at Van who's brow was furrowed at the French text book. She had asked him to explain what the paragraph had meant, and so far he had half the paragraph deciphered. His gaze was concentrated on the page, and he was biting the nail of his thumb. Hitomi studied his profile, and she longed to brush the hair out of his face. Suddenly his gaze brightened.

"I get it!" Van beamed triumphantly, slamming the book shut. "It's about how and why the Eiffel Tower was built, and the people's reactions to it." 

"Good job" Hitomi grinned. 

"Do I get a gold star?" asked Van playfully. 

"Maybe later" she laughed. "Now, let's go over the vocabulary list. We have a test tomorrow on it, remember?" Van nodded, and Hitomi was about to begin when they heard the arena doors open. They directed their gaze over to the entrance, and there was Jacob, with his back pack. 

"Hitomi!" he called out. Van groaned to himself. 

"Jacob" said Hitomi, surprised. 

"I thought I'd walk you to school, I have a surprise for you" he called, smiling up at her. 

"Um, okay, can you wait 15 minutes till our tutoring session is over?" asked Hitomi, glancing over at Van.

"Oh, 15 minutes doesn't matter! You don't mind do you, Van?" Jacob sneered. "It's not like you can learn anything anyways" Van clenched his fist.

"Jacob..." warned Hitomi quietly.

"What? I was just kidding, Van knows that, don't you Van?" laughed Jacob, shooting Van an evil glance. 

"It's okay, I can study with Millerna, Yukari and Dilandau at lunch." said Van. Allen and Dryden both took Spanish. 

"Are you sure?" asked Hitomi, as if she wanted him to stay. 

_Since when did they start having lunch with Yukari?   
Well you wouldn't know since you've been ignoring your friends lately and having lunch with Jacob._

"Yeah, you go with your boyfriend" Van replied indifferently.

_Is it just me or did he say 'boyfriend' oddly?_ thought Hitomi. _Stop trying to twist everything around, Hitomi_ she chided herself. Van slipped on his headphones, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and left the arena. Her green gaze never left his back until she heard the arena doors slam shut. Jacob made his way up the stands to where Hitomi stood. He looked disdainfully at the rink. 

"This is where you come every morning?" he asked, cocking his head at the ice.

"Yeah" said Hitomi. Jacob wrapped his arms around Hitomi, snuggling his face into the crook of her neck.

"If it were me I'd shoot myself" he laughed, and Hitomi felt slightly uncomfortable. _Maybe it's from the excessive amount of cologne he's wearing_ she giggled to herself. 

Or maybe it was something else. 

"It's not bad at all" she reassured him. 

"Whatever" he commented. "Come on, I have something to give you" he winked. Hitomi smiled, and gathered her stuff. Opening the arena doors open for her, Jacob reached around in his pocket for something.

"Aha, here we go." He pulled out a charm bracelet, with several little ornaments on it. The detail was beautiful, and it made a slight jingling noise if you shook it. The charms consisted of Victorian hearts, some bears, and angels. 

_Really not my kind of thing_ Hitomi thought. Though it was beautiful, she preferred simple things, with meaning. She had seen several of those charm bracelets at the local jewelry store, Atlantis. 

"It's beautiful" she smiled. "But we've only been dating for 2 weeks" she added, surprised. 

"I know, but there's this connection I feel with you. Like I've met you in a past lifetime" he said warmly. He gently unclasped it, and closed it on her wrist. "When you look at it, you'll know I'm thinking of you" he smiled. He looked down into her green eyes, and gently shut his own blue ones. 

_What's he doing?_ thought Hitomi, slightly alarmed. _He's not going to kiss me, is he? Oh god, I think he is.... _Slowly, he leaned in, and she remained frozen, eyes open in shock. 

There was a faint smile on his lips, and she couldn't move, couldn't say anything. Slowly, his face got closer and closer, and half of Hitomi screamed for her to move. But she couldn't. 

He pressed his warm lips to hers, and pulled her in closer to him. 

"Hitomi" he murmured into her soft lips. 

"Um....yeah?" she asked, eyes still open.

"You look beautiful today" he whispered. Hitomi blushed nervously. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and as soon as he felt her smooth hands on his neck he deepened the kiss. Hitomi felt a sensation go through her body. _Kind of like my body's being filled up with lukewarm gel. Is it supposed to feel this way? Not the last time I remember....._ Still, she had to admit Jacob was a good kisser, and eventually she got into the kiss. 

***

"Where's Hitomi?" asked Millerna.

"I don't know, I didn't see her at her locker this morning" frowned Merle. "Ask Van, he should know" Millerna nodded. _It's not like Hitomi to miss class. She sounded fine last night when I talked to her.... I don't think she's sick..._

***

"Van!" cried out Millerna in the hallway. Van turned around, looking for the source of the voice.

"Oh, hey 'llerna" he smiled.

"Have you seen Hitomi?"

"Well, she was there this morning to tutor me. Why?" he asked, shifting the weight of his back pack onto his other shoulder. 

"She wasn't in homeroom"

"Oh, that's weird. I saw her this morning. Well, Jacob wanted to talk to her about something" he added, trying to look casual. 

"I don't like him" said Millerna, her violet eyes darkening slightly.

"You don't have to say that" said Van softly. "I'm over her" he lied.

"It's not just that" protested Millerna earnestly. "He just seems so... Slippery"

"But he seems like a good boyfriend" remarked Van, a hint of bitterness seeping through his neutral tone. 

"My ass" scoffed Millerna. Van grinned as he saw several guys in the hallway drop their gaze to Millerna's ass as she loudly spoke those words. 

"I'll see you at lunch. You have a French test tomorrow too, right?"

"Yeah"

"Can you help me study? I didn't get to this morning because of Jacob, and I have hockey practice after school"

"Bastard, he had no right to interrupt your tutoring session" scowled Millerna. Van had never seen Millerna hold such a grudge against someone before. 

"I think we're going to have to accept the fact he's not some evil minion" he said quietly. Millerna wished she could have shook some sense into Van. 

"I still think he's a twit. Anyways, I'll see you at lunch" she called, and she made her way into her classroom. 

"Hitomi" she said, mouth open in shock. Hitomi was sitting at her desk waiting for class to begin, but her usual smooth hair was mussed up, and her cheeks were bright red. "Where were you?" she asked, setting down her books, and sitting down. 

"Well, Jacob met me this morning at the arena and he convinced me to cut class so we could see the autumn leaves before they disappeared completely" she blushed. 

"Was it really necessary to skip class to see a bunch of leaves that will come back every single year?" asked Millerna disapprovingly. 

"It was romantic" Hitomi insisted, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Mr. Horoshima walked into the room, and Hitomi was glad for a distraction. 

"Everyone sit down please" he said loudly, and once he was satisfied that everyone was paying attention he began to write on the chalk board. Hitomi kept her eyes on the board, not wanting to meet Millerna's intense gaze. 

***

"It's Christmas, and we, the student council have something extra special planned for all of you" came Yukari's voice on the announcements. "Throughout the school, we have planted sprigs of mistletoe! But not just any mistletoe! We've attached a single Christmas light on each sprig, which will randomly change colors every 15 minutes. The colors are green, white, and red. If you happen to be under a green sprig, you have to hug that person. If you're under a white sprig, you have to kiss the person on the cheek. If you're under a red sprig, it's the lips!" You could almost hear Yukari's gleeful smile. 

"I don't need mistletoe to kiss you" grinned Jacob, wrapping his arms around Hitomi. Hitomi smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm going to have lunch with some of my friends today" she said softly. 

"Oh...." said Jacob oddly, a shadow flickering across his face. 

"I'll see you later" she started, but Jacob grabbed her arm.

"I have a Christmas gift for you" he smiled.

"You really didn't have to--" she protested, but he silenced her with his finger. He produced a small carrier bag, and Hitomi gingerly opened it. Inside was a bag of almond Hershey Kisses and a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal, Christmas style. 

"You remembered I love Hershey Kisses and Pooh bear" smiled Hitomi, kissing him on the cheek.

"Of course" he smiled. "I'll see you later, or I'll be late for class" he grinned, and left. 

_Too bad he didn't remember I hate almonds and that I like Classic Pooh, not the new Pooh. _

***

"Nadine kissed me on the cheek because of your stupid mistletoe!" Van half yelled half grinned at Yukari. She smiled devilishly, and Van crushed Yukari with his strong arms, nearly knocking his lunch tray over. 

"The horror!" he fake sobbed, burying his face into her shirt. "That sloppy kiss she planted on my cheek will scar me forever" he exclaimed dramatically. 

"Um, do you guys mind if I eat lunch with you?" came a hesitant voice. Everyone at the table looked up at Hitomi, who was holding her tray nervously. Hitomi hadn't eaten lunch with them once since she and Jacob had started going out, which was over 2 months ago. They had felt hurt, and slightly insulted. 

"Uh....No, sit down" said Van after a while, arms still around Yukari. He saw Hitomi give him a rather peculiar look, and he let go of Yukari. The table fell silent. 

"So" tried Dryden, playing with the straw of his drink. 

"How have you guys been?" asked Hitomi nervously.

"Um....Well, Allen and I have started dating" Millerna supplied, giving an affectionate look at Allen, who grinned back. 

"Really?" Hitomi asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, the topic never really came up. We're not public yet... We plan to let the school know in the New Year" Millerna explained, looking down with interest at her lunch suddenly. 

"Oh" said Hitomi, taking a small bite of her sandwich. The rest of the lunch was extremely awkward, and several stabs at conversation were made. They all left the cafeteria together to hang out in the hallway, when Van spotted Dilandau. He rubbed his hands together, and grinned knowingly. 

"Oh Yukari..." Van said innocently. 

"Hmm?" she replied, focused on zipping up her sweater, which was stuck. 

"Watch where you're going" he smirked, keeping the rest of the group behind with his hand. 

"I know where I'm going" she retorted, eyes still on her zipper, only to bump into Dilandau. She stared into his crimson eyes, and turned bright red. 

"Di-dilandau..." she stuttered out. She felt heat engulf her body, and she noticed he was slightly red as well, but he still had a confident look on his face. 

"What are you...." she began. He moved his finger to her mouth to silence her, and smiled at her. He tilted his head to look up, and Yukari followed his gaze. Several sprigs of mistletoe had been moved neatly into a row on the ceiling, and Dilandau had rigged them all to turn red permanently. An excited smile appeared on Yukari's face.

"I can't believe it" she exclaimed, bringing her arms around his torso happily, and he leaned in to kiss her. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head, and his hands fell on the small of her back. After 2 months of endless hardcore flirting and blushing, they had finally gotten together. Van and Millerna whooped, as Dryden, Allen, Merle, and Gaddes clapped, smiles on their faces. 

_So Yukari and Van aren't together_ thought Hitomi. _They were just friends all along. _  
_But why would you care? You're dating Jacob.  
Yeah, but...  
But what?_

Yukari parted for a moment, and gave Dilandau a mock scowl.

"Destroying all the hard work the student council did?" she frowned at him, laughter erupting from her mouth.

"Want me to undo it?" he whispered. She shook her head, and he grinned, leaning in for another kiss. 

The rest of them decided to leave the two alone, and headed over to the main corridor. They were all chatting rather comfortably for the first time since Hitomi had joined them, when Millerna suddenly stopped talking, a big smile on her face.

"Van....Hitomi" she began slowly.

"What?" they said in unison, confused.

"Look up" cackled Millerna devilishly. They both looked up and a single sprig of mistletoe was taped to the ceiling. The light was red. 

"Woohoo!" yelled Gaddes, grinning at the two. Merle winked at Van, and Van didn't even want to see the expression on Millerna's face. Hitomi blushed deep red, and Van gave her a questioning look. Everyone's eyes were on the two, and they were looking at each other rather nervously. 

"Why not?" surrendered Hitomi, and he smiled. He wrapped one strong hand around her back, and Hitomi felt shocks run through her as he brought her in. His warm breath tickled her face, and she shut her green eyes. Her hand made it's way up into his hair, and after what seemed like an eternity, their lips met. 

It wasn't like the lukewarm gel feeling she had with Jacob. It was like her senses were on fire, and she was in fear of collapsing to the ground. Her knees were weak, and she noticed he had a natural smell, not like Jacob's excessive cologne, but like a bright, fresh, field on a cool summer's day. 

_I could do this forever_ mused Hitomi, smiling into his lips. Van imprinted the feeling of her body pressed against his, her hand entwining itself into his hair, and her lips softly caressing his forever into his mind. Van sighed mentally.

_But she's not yours._

He deepened the kiss ever so slightly before pulling away. Everyone clapped, and the two turned beet red. 

_Why did it feel so much different with Van?  
...So much better?  
Maybe because you're meant to be with--_ her mind began to tell her, but she cut herself off. 

"We should be heading back to class, it's almost time" announced Millerna. She shot Van a look, a look that said "We're going to talk later" and slowly everyone began to go their separate ways. 

"Hitomi, wait!" called Van. Hitomi turned around, a tiny, TINY part of her wishing he'd do something...

_Like what? Kiss you? Ask you out? A--_

Hitomi mentally slapped herself. 

"I got you a Christmas gift, to thank you for all the tutoring you've done so far. You're a great teacher" he said sincerely. She blushed deep red. He delved deep into the pocket of his pants, and came out with a small black velvet box. He gently opened it, and she gasped. It was beautiful, and simple, just the way she liked it. It was a silver ring, with a heart with a crown on top adorned by two hands.

"It's a clavagh ring" he said quietly. "The crown means loyalty and fidelity.... The hands mean friendship... And the heart, well... You know what it means. You wear the heart facing out when you're not taken, and the heart facing towards you when you are. It's also a friendship ring." She felt tears rush up to her eyes, and before she knew what she was doing she jumped up and gave Van a fierce hug. 

"Thank you, you really shouldn't have" she whispered into his neck. 

"Hey, it's nothing" he said softly, and eventually she slowly unwrapped her arms from his neck. 

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Well, I'll be going" Van said after a period of silence, and he turned to leave.

"Van, wait" Hitomi called out to his back. He turned around. "Um...Uh....When's your next hockey game?" she asked, concentrating on the ground, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Tonight" he replied.

"I'd....I'd like to come watch you" she said, blushing madly. His eyes lit up, and so did his entire face.

"Really?" Hitomi nodded. "That's great!" he exclaimed. 

"So, uh, the game starts at 7 right?" Van nodded. "Uh, I guess I'll see you then" she said, playing with the edge of her shirt nervously. 

"Sounds great" he smiled, and they slowly parted ways 

Hitomi had only took a few steps when she saw Jacob. 

"Hey Hitomi" he smiled. "How was lunch?"

"Great" she replied honestly, her eyes twinkling. 

"Well whatever you ate you should eat more of, I've never seen you so twinkly and happy before" he grinned. Hitomi forced a smile on when she realized something. _It wasn't the food, Jacob. It was the people. _

"Hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing to her ring.

"Oh, a Christmas gift" she smiled happily.

"It's a bit bland, isn't it?" Jacob asked. Hitomi was about to blurt out how it was perfect, but she stopped herself. 

"I like it" she said casually. He looked at her oddly, but thought nothing of it.

"Well, I'll see you later." he kissed her on the cheek.

"Yeah. I'll see you later" she said softly once he was gone. 

**AN: Hahaha, NOPE! Van and Hitomi are NOT going to be together next chapter! XD Sorry! There WILL be fluff, but sadly, they will not be together ;_; However, Jacob will be gone! *cheers* So yay to that! I plan to hook up Dryden with a sexy exchange student, hahaha.... Can't leave poor Dryden all alone, now can we ^_~ Then Van can notice he's the only one not paired up..... And with Jacob gone.... MUAHAHA! But no, they will not be together like that! *snaps fingers* ^_________________^**


	5. Hockey Night

**AN: Sorry for not updating a while! Well actually it hasn't been a long time it's just I usually update often.... I might not update for another week because *gasp* PIANO EXAMS! I HATE PIANO. My teacher says I'll probably fail -_-;; ANYWHO, then I'll try to shove in as many chapters again, and then *sob* another dry spell will come! SCHOOL EXAMS! Ack! Anywho, here you go! Chapter 5 ^_^ And thanks to some suggestion, Dilandau will beat up Jacob! *hehehhee***

**MaboroshiTsuki: **Don't feel guilty! That's just making my story better! Hehe... Jacob is going to become a bit of a jerk though in this chapter! Muahaha! Well I have to kill him SOMEHOW, and I think killing him "literally" would be too dramatic @_@   
**Paige Moonsword: **Hehe, I love Dilandau in here too ^_^ And I'm not a Jacob fan either XD I sort of winged the pairings ^^;; Hehe  
**Divine Discontent: ***wishes she could just make Hitomi hate Jacob, and then he'll go die for no particular reason* Because if he died while Hitomi still sort of liked him, then I'd have to make her sad.... And then....Yeah.... ^^;;   
**Rina:** *cowers* Hehe, sorry! I'm a meanie ^_^;; Sorry to make you emotional! *wails* ^___________^ Hehe   
**Ruby:** Haha, I'm going to make Dilandau beat up Jacob.... Thanks for the idea XD  
**Dariel: **Hehe, Dilandau's gonna use his fists to beat up Jacob *matches Dariel's grin with her own* Muahaha  
**LOVE WITCH: **Muahaha, I'm getting rid of Jacob now! And yup yup, Dryden's new girlfriend will be hot! XD   
**Storyteller:** Hehe, thanko!   
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Haha, Dilandau's gonna get rid of Jacob, sorry Smokegirl ;_; *hehe* And nope! Van and Hitomi have to fight a bit before they're together XD  
**Candy Dragonstar: ***is blushing like crazy, is very flattered* I will keep writing more! ^_^ And the awkward dating is from personal experience ^^;; Oy.   
**Wing Goddess: **Thanks for the advice about the conversations! I'll try to clarify that a bit more... Hehe, I like how the guys are too XD And you can still write a high school story! The story will be totally yours, as the plot will be original ^-^  
**Shi no Miko: ***bows before shi no miko* THANK YOU! I'm using that idea! When I read that idea I was gobsmacked! Brilliant! Thanko! ^______^  
**PerfectSoldier09: ***hires Van as a bodyguard* Muahaha.... Well, here's a new chapter! Please don't poke me! ^^;; *clings onto Van*   
**James Holtrop: ***waves Hockey flag* Hockey's my favorite sport XD Thanks for the compliments! *blushes*  
**Dahee Fanel: **Yeah, when I was writing I sort of wanted to slap Hitomi.... ^^;; *hugs Van* It's okay! Jacob's going to die now! Hehe, thanko! 

"Ladies and Gentlemen" came the booming voice over the arena. "Tonight, it's the Asturia Titans versus the Fanelia Black Hawks! Let the games begin!"

Hitomi cheered loudly, and she kept her eye on Van, who she spotted by his black jersey with the number "89" on the back, and the name "FANEL" written above it. 

Van looked up at the stands for Hitomi, and smiled as he saw her, cheeks slightly pink from the ice. He looked back into the eye's of the Asturia High captain, and smiled.

"Good luck" he said. 

"Not that I need it" said the captain snidely, and Van rolled his eyes. The Titan's were known to be a vicious team, and not very into sportsmanship. Still, Van had always wished the other team good luck before the game started, so he didn't see the point of stopping for them. 

The whistle blew, and Van quickly passed the puck back to his team member. He skated up, keeping his eyes on the puck. The puck was being passed among Andrew and Lucas, and suddenly shot towards Van. Van received the puck beautifully, and made his way up the ice. He shot it over towards Fred, who began to pass it towards Ryuuji until the Asturia High captain intercepted it. Shooting a sneer at Van before skating towards the Fanelia net, Van skated angrily after the captain. Tommy was closer, and he picked the puck away from the Asturia captain. He shot it towards Van, and he quickly made his way up the ice. He quickly passed it to Andrew, who instantly passed it back to Van, and while the attention of the goalie was still on Andrew, he slapped it into the net. 

"GOAL FOR FANELIA!" the voice boomed across the ice. Hitomi stood up and cheered wildly. 

"Go Van! Go Black Hawks!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, several people near her doing the same. 

They started at center ice again, and this time the Titans got the puck, making their way towards the Black Hawk net. Van shot urgent glances at Tommy and Aaron, his two defense men. Aaron skated over and tried to intercept the Asturia captain, but he was too quick and passed the puck to one of his team mates. Tommy began to go after the Titan with the puck, but the captain cross checked Tommy into the wall, causing him to crumple to the ground. The whistle blew, and the referee made his way over to Tommy. Tommy put his hand to his mouth, and when he removed it the fingers of his glove were sticky with blood. 

"Penalty!" the referee yelled. 

"I didn't do anything!" retorted the Titan's captain. 

"You cross checked the boy into the god damned wall! And you're saying you didn't do anything?" the referee said thunderously. 

"It was an accident!" insisted the captain.

"Son, if this was the NHL and we could show instant play backs you'd see yourself cross checking the boy on purpose!" the referee replied calmly. The captain cursed, and made his way over to the penalty box, throwing his stick down. "Back to center ice!" the referee called.

"And the Asturia captain has just cross checked #13, Tommy Mast of the Black Hawks! Power play for the Black Hawks!" the announcer boomed. Hitomi sat forward on the edge of her seat, biting her lip. Again, the Titan's got the puck, and made their way rapidly over to the Fanelia net. Van intercepted the puck when it was being passed, and made his way up to the ice. He passed it to Lucas, and Lucas shot it at the top left corner of the net.

"Oh! Nice save!" the announcer boomed. "That was a close one! No goal!" The crowd rooting for the Black Hawk's groaned, while the crowd for the Titan's cheered. Hitomi was surprised to see most of the crowd was adults, not teenagers. Then again, Van -had- said not much school school support went to the hockey team. They started again, and Van faked a pass at Andrew before shooting it into the net. 

"Another goal for the Black Hawks! That makes the score 2-0 in favor of Fanelia High!" the announcer cried. "Both goals for the Black Hawks made by captain, #89 Van Fanel." The crowd cheered wildly, while the other side of the arena, the side supporting the Titan's, booed. 

The game progressed as the night passed away, and the Titan's eventually tied up the score, 2-2. It was the final quarter, and there were 10 minutes left. Hitomi's voice was slightly hoarse from all the cheering she'd done, but she felt good. She watched Van sitting on the bench, taking a sip from his water bottle, shaking his raven black hair. Coach Grava motioned for Van to go back onto the ice, while Andrew took Van's place on the bench. The whistle blew once more, and this time the Black Hawks got the puck. The two captains of the opposing teams skated side by side, dangerously close. Lucas passed the puck to Ryuuji, and Van was about to skate up more to join them when the captain raised his stick high into the air and brought it down crashing onto Van's back. Van fell to the ice, swearing in pain, and Hitomi gasped. However, Van smiled grimly as he heard the words of the announcer.

"Goal for Fanelia! Penalty for the Titans! 45 seconds to go in the final quarter... Will the Titans be able to tie the game up for over time, with a power play for the Black Hawks? Let's see!" the voice boomed. Van was escorted off the ice by the referee, and although Hitomi couldn't hear what the referee said to the captain after helping Van, she could tell it wasn't nice. The captain made a violent gesture, and scowled at everyone from the penalty box. 

"The puck goes to Tommy Mast, to Ryuuji Mora-- Oh! Intercepted by Bobby Anderson from the Titans. 20 seconds to go! Anderson is making his way up the ice... 15....14.....13.....12....Oh, Anderson has passed to team mate George Rivers! 8....7...6...5....Dangerously close to the Fanelia net! 3....2....He shoots......1...HE MISSES! 0! AND THE GAME IS WON BY THE FANELIA BLACK HAWKS, 3-2!!!" Cheers and shouts erupted from the supporting crowd, and Hitomi got out of her seat as she saw Van making his way to the change room with the help of Coach Grava. 

"Van!" she shouted. Van looked over at her, winced, then smiled slightly. "Are you okay?" she said worriedly.

"Nah, he'll be fine. He's gone through much worse, right Fanel?" Coach Grava chuckled. Van gave Coach Grava a look, causing him to laugh more and slap Van on the back. Van nearly fell to his knees, if Hitomi hadn't been there to catch him. 

"Whoops" grinned Coach Grava. "Well, this pretty lady will take care of you" he smirked. Both Hitomi and Van blushed bright red, and Ryuuji gently nudged Van, winking, as he passed the 3 into the change room. 

"Um...I'll meet you outside in 15 minutes?" suggested Van. Hitomi nodded, and he slowly made his way into the change room. 

***

Van gently tapped Hitomi on the shoulder, who was staring in a dazed fashion at the vending machine. She whirled around, slightly startled, but relaxed when she saw him.

"You were great!" she yelled, jumping on to him.

"SHIT!" he cursed, crumpling to the ground. Giggles erupting from her mouth, and she bent down.

"I'm sorry" she laughed slightly, helping him up with her hand. "I forgot you were injured" she blushed. 

"It's okay" he muttered, a small smile creeping up on his face. 

"Maybe I should check out your back" she said, concerned. "I have some medical stuff at my place, my dad's a doctor..." she trailed off. 

"No, it's okay--" he started, but a devilish gleam came to Hitomi's eyes.

"So you're perfectly fine?" she asked innocently. He nodded confidently.

"Then piggy back me to the car" she grinned impishly. Van groaned. 

"Fine, fine, I'll let you check out my back" he surrendered, not before adding "I know you just want to check out my hot back" he grinned. Hitomi's eyes widened, and she playfully smacked him on the back, forgetting about his injury.

"AHH!" he yelled. 

"Whoops" Hitomi sweat dropped, repeating Coach Grava's words. "Hehe?" 

***

Hitomi opened the door of her house, and looked at her watch. It was 9:15, her parents wouldn't be home till 11 because they were out on a "romantic dinner". 

"Okay, you sit there" instructed Hitomi, pointing at the couch, and she then made her way to the medicine cabinet. She returned, and after blushing slightly, stripped off Van's gray "It's Hockey Night" shirt. His back -was- hot, and she caught a glimpse of his structured abs. She gasped slightly at the vicious gash on his back, and gingerly applied some peroxide with a cotton ball. He took a sharp intake of breath, but kept still. Hitomi then applied a soothing "ice" gel to his back, and gently blew on the cut to lessen the pain from the peroxide and the sharp chill of the gel. Van stiffened like a bowstring when he felt her warm breath blowing gently on his back. His face was still warm from when she had stripped off his shirt. Her lips were incredibly close to his back, and with a small shiver from Van her lips accidentally grazed his skin. Both of them turned flaming red, and felt their cheeks burn. 

With shaking hands, Hitomi smoothed a bandage onto Van's gash to prevent bacteria from getting in, and she slowly rubbed the bruises around it. The feeling of her hands massaging his back made Van take every ounce of self control he had to stop himself from whirling around and wrapping her up in a deep, passionate kiss. 

Slowly, Hitomi almost disappointedly handed his shirt back to him. He slipped it on, and both were extremely quiet.

"So..." 

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I guess I should be going--" began Van, but Hitomi interrupted him.

"Stay" she blurted out. She turned bright pink. "I could make you hot chocolate......We could talk...." Her face was turning different shades of red and pink rather rapidly, and Van was stuck on a rather tomato red shade. 

"S-s-ure..." he managed to stutter out. Hitomi practically ran into the kitchen, and after lots of crashes and clanging, she came out with 2 mugs of steaming hot chocolate. 

Taking a slow sip, a thought clung onto Van's mind. _Invite her to Dryden's New Years Eve Bash! DO IT! DO IT!_ a voice in his head roared at him. _DO IT OR DIE!!!!!_ it bellowed.

"Wannagopartywithme?" he stumbled out. 

"What?" Hitomi asked, bewildered. If his mind was a different person, Van would be beating it to death right now. 

"Sorry, I meant, do you want to go to Dryden's New Years Eve Bash with me?" he clarified nervously. Hitomi blushed bright red, and found she couldn't speak.

_Is he asking me out?  
_Uh, I think so, dumbass.   
_What should I say? What about Jacob?  
_Screw Jacob, you know you don't like him.  
_Yeah, but...  
_And you've been thinking of Van ever since you met him!  
_I have not!  
_Uh, Hitomi? I'm your brain. I know what you think.  
_Damn._

Still, Hitomi couldn't speak. 

"You can bring Jacob" added Van hurriedly. "And I can bring Millerna...And Allen...And Yukari....And Dilandau...And Merle...And Gaddes" _What the hell are you doing, Van?_

"Uh, sure...." Hitomi finally found her voice. "How will we all fit into the car?"

"Um...Good point. We'll use Millerna's car too." replied Van, almost shaking with nervousness. 

"Okay."

"Okay."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So, um, I should go" Van said quickly.

"Yeah" nodded Hitomi. Neither of the two looked each other in the eye.

"So, uh.... I'll....See you.....At the party." 

"Mmhmmm" Hitomi murmured. With a quick goodbye Van left the house at lightning speed, cheeks burning, bright red face, mirroring Hitomi. 

***

Jacob had immediately jumped at the chance of going to Dryden's New Years Bash, knowing the most popular people in the school would be there. Why was he mean to Van then, you ask? Van, after all was the most popular guy in school, tying with Dilandau. Because deep down inside, subconsciously, Jacob knew that Van and Hitomi would end up together... 

"Hey, Jacob, can you hold my jewelry while I help Millerna in the kitchen? She tried to make a desert or something....And well..." Hitomi trailed off, laughing. Jacob took an appreciative glance at Hitomi, who was wearing low slung vintage jeans, orange satin open toe sandals and a matching fitting orange satin tank top with a criss cross back. 

"Sure" Jacob replied, smiling. She gently unclasped the charm bracelet on her wrist, took off her silver watch, and almost unwillingly handed the Clavagh ring Van gave to her over to Jacob. Hitomi made her way over to the kitchen, and Jacob slipped the watch and bracelet into his pocket. He stopped at the ring. He inspected it, and noticed a small engraving inside.

_Thanks, Van._

Rage crept up Jacob, and he held the ring like it was a vile piece of junk. About to grudgingly stuff it into his pocket, a slow smile crept on his face. The hundreds of people at the party seemed to be absorbed in themselves to notice anything else, and he made his way over to a suede couch and slipped the ring underneath the cushion. He quickly edged away, and amused himself with a glass of punch. Though Jacob was a football player, and had a good amount of friends, not one face did he know as a "friend" at this party, except for Hitomi. _Who's not just my "friend" but my girlfriend_ he thought smugly to himself. Slowly losing himself in the beat of the music, Jacob jumped slightly when Hitomi crept up on him. 

"Hey" he greeted warmly. She laughed slightly, and gave him a small hug.

"Can I have my jewelry?" she asked, smiling. 

"Sure" he replied, digging into the pocket of his jeans. He handed her a pile of silver. Hitomi clasped the bracelet back on, and put on her watch.

"Jacob...Where's my ring?" Hitomi asked worriedly. 

"Didn't I give it to you?" he asked innocently.

"No, you didn't" she replied. 

"Well, I don't have it" he said defensively. "It's just a bland old ring anyways, who cares?" he added, trying to wrap his arms around her waist.

"What the hell do you mean? Bland old ring? I love that ring!" she yelled, pushing him away. A scene wasn't being caused, because the music was blaring too loudly. 

"It's just a damn ring! Calm down, Hitomi!" he retorted. 

"How could you lose it??" she shouted, her voice agitated. 

"I'll buy you another one! It just won't say Van--" he started, before shutting his mouth.

"What did you say?" she asked, a edge in her voice.

"Nothing. My point is, don't get so worked up. You were bound to lose it anyways, so it just happened to occur sooner than you thought! It was an old ugly ring--" he justified, until Hitomi slapped him across the face with so much force his head snapped to the side. 

"It is NOT an old ugly ring, I like, no LOVE it a lot more than your stupid charm bracelet!" She unclasped the bracelet and whipped it at him, tears misting up her eyes. "You always give me strange looks every time I try to hang out with MY friends, and you constantly trash hockey, knowing I love it!" He caught the bracelet, and was about to interrupt her, but she went on. "You rarely listen to me, and every time we go out it's where YOU want to go! And then there's the rare occasion we do something I want to do, and you sit around, complain, make faces, and criticize everything!"

"Look, let's just work something out--" he tried, attempting to calm her down.

"....No. I don't think I want to work something out" she whispered.

**AN: Haha, sorry to leave you there... But you know Jacob's gone! Just don't know what his reaction will be..... ^_^ Eck, so tired... Please Review! Thanks Shi No Miko for the "how to dump Jacob" idea! XD**


	6. New Years

****

AN: Gah! I'm back! Sorry, I've been sooo busy lately! Anywho, to the review replies! I'm not very happy about this chapter, but I'm just blegh-y right now..... ;_; Btw, I do not own the songs I use in here nor am I making profit from the songs... 

James Holtrop: Haha, thanks for the correction ^^;; Problem is that I tend to write stories really late at night...So I'm not really thinking straight @_@ I'll fix it next tomorrow morning! XD  
**SailorCentauri:**Haha, I love hockey! And Van and Hitomi will be together....Soon....But not too soon ^_~  
**Rina:** Haha, sorry to stop it there, but I was tired ^^;; Please don't hurt me! Aiee!  
**LOVE WITCH:** Haha, Mira looks like that mermaid that Dryden let go in the series XD  
**Dariel: **Muahah I want to see Van's back too.... @_@ Ugh, I'm not ecstatic about this chapter, because I'm just blegh right now. *wails*  
**MaboroshiTsuki: **Muahaha, but with the injury of Van we had the sweet scene! *grins*  
**DemonAvalon:** Yeah! Jacob's gone! And I have other plans for Van ^_~  
**SailorHope: **Hehe ^__^ I have that ring! I love Van and Hitomi! Woohoo!  
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Yay! Jacob is gone! *slightly scared from all the Muahaha-ing* XD  
**Shi no Miko:**He's being beat up NOW! Yay! ^______________^  
**KittyKat146:** LOL, thanks ^^;; And Hitomi WILL get her ring back! Hehehehhe......  
**me: **Haha, they won't be together yet XD There will be more before they go out!  
**Moonbeam020290: **Merci beacoup, mais je ne parle pas beaucoup de francais ^^;; Oui, j'adore Van et Hitomi aussi.... And I don't go to school in Connecticut ^^;;  
**Sephkid:** *blushes* Thanko! And I made Dilandau beat up Jacob for mysterious reasons which will be unveiled soon XD I sent you an e-mail for the update, so there ya go!  
**SabrinaYutsuki: **Hehe, so can I @_@ Thanks a lot! ^___^  
**Princess Cool:** You update your story too! I love your story!!!! And thanks for the review.  
**DaheeFanel:** *blushes* Yeah, I think I made her over react a bit... But I'm still a beginner at fan fic so.... ^^;;; Hehe, thanks for the review!  
**Ash Night:** Hehe, same! That's why I wrote this fic! XD   
**Jen:** Thanks for the review! *blushes*  
**Toritsuku-Shippitsu: **Haha, sorry, I made Dilandau kick Jacob's arse.... For reasons which will be revealed later XD  
**Divine Discontent: **Haha, I wish I could make him combust too, but alas... Thanks for the review!  
**KickingKirk:** Thanks for the review! And here ya go! 

Jacob's jaw clenched slightly, and he had the urge to strike her. But instead, he looked at her in a calm, yet subliminally dangerous manner. He took a deep breath, and made her look into his blue eyes.

"Can we talk outside?" he asked simply, and Hitomi's mouth opened slightly in surprise. _No anger?_ Reluctantly, she agreed, and Jacob led her out from the party, which was in full swing, to the quiet outdoors. Hitomi sat down on one of the grand marble steps, and Jacob stood about 2 feet away, eyeing her. She wasn't look at him, she was looking out towards the still lake, as the stars shone brightly in the blue black sky. 

"Hitomi, why did you date me in the first place?" inquired Jacob, his eyes pressing. Hitomi's head quickly jerked up from her reverie, and she looked at him for a moment. 

"...Because... Well, to be honest, you seemed to be a nice, smart, and attractive guy." she confessed slowly, afraid of where he was going. 

"And have any of those qualities changed?" he continued, his at first innocent tone turning more interrogative. 

"...No" Hitomi finally came up with, trying her best to avoid his gaze. 

"So then why break up with me?" he yelled, more frustrated then angry. 

"I think you know," Hitomi said quietly, toying with the straps of her orange satin sandals. Jacob sat down beside Hitomi on the cold stairs, and ran his hand through his brown hair. Gently, he turned her head towards his with his hand.

"Hitomi...I don't want to lose you." He softened his blue eyes, and put on the most seductive smile he could muster. Hitomi's eyes resembled those of a deer's caught in headlights. 

"..J-Jacob..." she started, but he was looking at her lips, not her. "Jacob, I think it'd be better if we went inside." she said quickly. Jacob pulled away slightly, and sighed deeply. 

"What did I do wrong?" he asked, his question hanging in the air. Hitomi wished she could go back inside and not face the situation. 

"It wasn't you..." she started.

"Oh, don't pull the whole 'It's not you, it's me' bull shit" interrupted Jacob, looking into his lap bitterly.

"But it wasn't you. It was something else." she said quietly. They sat in silence, and Hitomi slowly stood up.

"It's almost midnight," she announced, "we should head back inside". She shivered slightly, and Jacob quickly stood up.

"Are you cold?" he asked, frowning in a concerned manner.

"Sort of" she said hesitantly, and before she could protest, he wrapped her arms around her. His arms were strong, from all his years as a football star, and she tried to worm out of his grip. "Jacob, let me go" she said, through clenched teeth.

"But you're cold" he replied, his voice slightly slurred. _Shit, he's drunk_ cursed Hitomi silently. 

"Jacob, let go! You're drunk" she yelled. He pressed his dry lips to hers, and she tried to scream. 

"Hitomi... Just one last kiss" he murmured, delving his tongue into her mouth. Hitomi felt sick, and she placed her hands square on his chest. Deepening the kiss, Jacob pulled her body in closer, her breasts crushing into his chest. 

"Jacob, get a hold of yourself" Hitomi yelled angrily, but her strength was feeble compared to his. 

"I'd like to get a hold on you" he smirked, exploring her mouth lazily. He began to toy with the strings of her shirt, and she felt fear run through her. 

"Jacob, you're not like this. Don't regret this later--" she began against his lips.

"I could never regret doing anything with you except letting you go" he drawled, trying to loosen the knots of her shirt with his clumsy fingers. 

"Jacob! Get the hell off of me! I don't like you!" she screamed, wishing she had the strength to punch him in the eye. 

"Not like me?" he repeated dangerously, and he tore his lips off of her for a moment, searching her stormy green eyes. "I'll teach you bitch" he growled. He slammed his mouth onto hers, and shoved his tongue through her lips. 

"Let her go, Uchida!" a voice yelled. Jacob looked up. It was Dilandau, with Yukari.

"Dilandau..." he stuttered. "Hey, sis, get your boyfriend away and make out with him or something" ordered Jacob to a slightly startled Yukari, who was looking at her brother disbelievingly. He turned back to Hitomi, his eyes glazed, his breath heavy with the stench of alcohol. 

"My ass we'll go away" Dilandau snapped. "Go back inside" he said tenderly to Yukari, who nodded slightly. 

"Yeah, you go inside Hitomi, we'll finish this later" Jacob slurred, releasing his grip on Hitomi and rolling up his sleeves. Hitomi immediately ran into the house, and Dilandau eyed Jacob carefully. 

"Sexually harassing girls is a bad thing to do, Jacob" Dilandau articulated dangerously, his auburn eyes flickering. 

"Yeah? Well I was just having a nice kiss with my girl friend" retorted Jacob.

"You forget this school is full of gossip leeches" smirked Dilandau. "Marlene Aston over heard your conversation, and soon the news spread. Over half the party knows she dumped you when you supposedly 'lost' her ring" he said, his tone harsh. 

"Frag off" Jacob yelled, stumbling over to Dilandau, his fist in the air. Dilandau rolled his eyes.

"Do you honestly think you can beat me up? With you in your state as well?" he asked casually, holding Jacob's two fists firmly. Jacob let out a cry of rage and tried to kick Dilandau. 

"Your choice" Dilandau muttered, and he knocked the lights out of Jacob with a hard hit on the head. Dilandau dragged Jacob's limp body over to the bottom of the stairs, as Jacob's head bumped pleasantly against each marble step as he was led down. Brushing his hands off on his hands triumphantly, Dilandau made his way back to the party, grinning like a maniac.

***

It was 11:51, and everyone was yelling excitedly, waiting for the clock to strike 12. Hitomi was sitting with Millerna and Merle on a suede couch, trying her best to calm down.

"Are you okay?" asked Millerna softly, wishing she could kill Jacob.

"Yeah" nodded Hitomi, shuddering slightly. "He's normally not like that..." she started, but Millerna shook her head firmly.

"Don't defend him, Hitomi. What he did was wrong." she said, her violet eyes catching Hitomi's. Merle nodded in agreement. 

"I never did really like him" Merle admitted, and Millerna bit her lip.

"No one really liked him, Hitomi" she finally confessed. "He's had a really bad history with girls..."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" asked Hitomi, slightly hurt.

"Because with other girls he'd be like that straight off. With you he seemed to be a lot better. Surprisingly. We though he had changed over the summer. So we didn't say anything. Turns out we were wrong" Millerna answered slowly.

"Maybe he did change. I think it was the alcohol. He really was nice to me" Hitomi said softly, "It's just... That spark...It wasn't there... Like if you look at you, and Allen, or you and Gaddes, I can tell you're really happy" Hitomi continued on, and Millerna and Merle nodded. "But with Jacob... I just didn't...Feel comfortable. He didn't do anything" she added quickly, "Just..."

"We understand" interrupted Merle, and Hitomi smiled.

"I'm sorry for neglecting you guys before" she whispered, and Millerna and Merle shrugged.

"It's alright" Millerna lied, and there was a small moment of silence. 

"Well let's get dancing, it's almost midnight!" cried Merle, and the girls grinned. Millerna got up off the couch, and suddenly noticed Van talking with Allen, Dryden, and Gaddes on the other side of the room. A twinkle appeared in Millerna's eyes. 

"Hitomi! We have to get someone for you to kiss at midnight!" smiled Millerna. 

"Um..." stuttered Hitomi. Merle nodded knowingly at Millerna.

"How about..." Merle casually thought aloud. "Well, Dryden has Mira, that exchange student" she said. The girls directed their gaze over to a girl with pale skin, dark blue wavy hair, large turquoise eyes, and an exotic smile who was standing with Dryden. "And Allen has Millerna, and Gaddes has me..." she continued. 

"Well, who then?" laughed Millerna devilishly. "Oh wait, Van doesn't have anyone..." she added innocently. Hitomi blushed like mad. 

"No, it's okay, I don't need anyone to kiss--" she started, but Millerna was already off. Hitomi wanted the ground to swallow her up. She saw Millerna talking to Van, and he looked over at her with his intense brown eyes. She quickly averted her gaze to the floor, then erupted in nonsense small talk with Merle, trying her best to seem preoccupied. Slowly, Millerna, Van, Dryden, Mira, Allen, and Gaddes made their way over to Hitomi and Merle. 

"I wonder where Dilandau and Yukari are" thought Merle aloud.

"Right (pant) here" came Yukari's voice, and the group found Dilandau's arm wrapped around Yukari's shoulder as she held onto him, laughing and panting at the same time, both of their cheeks flushing. "You should have seen what we did to Jacob" she giggled, and Dilandau put his finger to her lips, grinning. 

"We'll show them later" he laughed, and suddenly, the entire party focused their gaze on the movie sized TV screen on the west wall. The ball was about to drop, and everyone began to count down. Everyone ran to their partners, and held hands. Van nervously approached Hitomi, and she looked up at him, not noticing his faint blush.

"Er..." he began. "If you want, we don't have to--" he continued, heat rushing to his cheeks.

"It's okay" interrupted Hitomi, and she felt like dying suddenly. 

__

What if he said that because he doesn't want to kiss me? Oh god, what am I doing?

Maybe he's afraid you don't want to kiss him, Hitomi.

No, who WOULDN'T want to kiss him?

Who wouldn't want to kiss you?

Him.

Oh god, get some self confidence. 

But...

Just go.

Go where?

...You're very dense, you know that? 

To Hitomi's surprise, he smiled warmly. She gently took a step towards him, so her breath tickled his face. 

"6....5.....4....3....2....1.... HAPPY NEW YEARS!" everybody screamed, and Van gently bent down his head and locked his warm lips with Hitomi's. 

The complex and beautiful fireworks on the screen were nothing compared to the fireworks that seemed to explode when Hitomi's lips met Van's. His hand landed on the small of her back, and her hand entwined itself within his raven black hair. Hitomi felt like she was floating, and Van felt like he was in heaven. Her lips were sweet from the strawberries she had been snacking on previously, and he held her closer as her tongue timidly entered his mouth. Hitomi took a deep breath, memorizing his summery, masculine scent. They both decided to deepen the kiss at the same time, and Van gently sucked on Hitomi's lower lip. Everyone else had long ended their kisses, and Millerna was laughing with joy when she saw Van and Hitomi. 

"What are you so happy for?" smiled Allen down at her. 

"Look at those two" she beamed, motioning towards Hitomi and Van.

"Another success with your matchmaking skills?" he teased, and she grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do I get a reward?" she laughed, and he nodded, kissing her softly on the lips. 

Hitomi heard music start, and people started to head to the dance floor. She gently pulled away from Van's addictive lips, and he looked at her, while she stared back. 

"......So."

"Uh huh..."

"That was...."

"....Nice"

"Very......." stuttered Van, his hands almost shaking. "I should....Go...Over there" he added nervously, and she nodded like her life depended on it. 

"Sure!" she exclaimed oddly, and they both turned red. 

"Er...Yeah." Van finally came up with, and shuffled away. Hitomi made her way over to the couches, and flopped down. Shutting her green eyes, she lost herself in the slow tune of the music, trying to steady her breathing. 

***

"Go ask her to dance!" ordered Millerna, smacking Van on the head. He wanted to... Badly. But he was afraid. 

"I don't think she likes me" he whined. 

"Van! Moron! You two looked like if you stopped kissing the world would end!" teased Millerna, and Van blushed, muttering 'shut up'. 

"But I--" he started.

"Go!" she interrupted, stamping her foot, grinning.

"But what if--"

"Go."

"But she--"

"Go."

"What if she says--"

"Go."

"But--"

"Go."

"But--"

"Go."

"B--"

"GO!" yelled Millerna, exasperatedly, shoving Van towards the area where Hitomi was. Raising his hands in surrender, Van made his way over to Hitomi, who was swaying softly to the music. He glanced one more time at Millerna, and she glowered at him. He gulped, and kept walking, after shooting Millerna a look along the lines of ^_^;;. 

"Er...Would you like to dance with me?" he asked hurriedly. Hitomi's eyes flew open.

"P-pardon?" she stuttered, realizing it was Van. His hair was hanging lightly in his face, and he looked adorable, hands in his pockets, eyes on the floor, a faint blush on his cheeks. 

"Do...You.....Want to dance?" he asked, looking as though he were afraid she might him with a hockey stick. A smile slid on her face.

"Yeah" she nodded, and Van let go a breath he didn't realize he was holding. She slowly got up, and the two made their way to the dance floor. A new song had just started, and Van rested his hands on her hips as she gently placed her arms around his neck. 

__

...Never knew I could feel like this  
Like I've never seen the sky before  
I want to vanish inside your kiss...

Hitomi rested her head on Van's shoulder, and ever so slightly, Van tightened his hold on her.

__

Everyday I'd love you more than this. 

****

AN: Okay, okay, I'm not proud of that chapter *wails* I'm still a little rusty. Exams and all.... But I did warn all of you! Anywho, I got Dilandau to beat up Jacob! And what DID Yukari and Dilandau do to Jacob? Wait and see... Heehee, and NO! Hitomi and Van will NOT go out! Muahaha... But I think I'll make them go out on Valentines day, thus ending the story ^_^ Hehe, please review! 


	7. Hurt and the Happy Ending

**AN: New fic coming up, this is the last chapter, I don't think I can take this anymore O_O I suck at writing *wails* I've lost my touch *sobs* Sorry everyone, I will work my butt off for my next fic.... ;__;**

**Ash Night:** Gah I've lost my touch! *hates self* Thanks for the compliment though ^_^   
**Sailor Centauri:** Haha! So would I! *waves I love Van banner*   
**MaboroshiTsuki: ***eye twitches. stabs anne with a bread knife* AHHH! *calms down* big head ache. sorry ^^;;  
**SabineballZ: **Haha, okay so I didn't make it Valentines Day ^^;; I really want to work on my next fic O_O  
**LOVE WITCH:** Yay! You update the gods story! Haha Jacob moves schools ^_^  
**SabrinaYutsuki: **Haha thanko! I love V/H!  
**Sakura:** Thanks! ^___^  
**Magicman/Smokegirl:** Hahaha *grins* Jacob's gone!  
**Dariel: **Okay, I HATE THIS CHAPTER. Seriously. I'm damaging my fan fic career by this chapter *weeps* Thanks for the review! ^_^  
**Divine Discontent:** Hehe, go Dilly!  
**Paige Moonsword: **Haha, thanks! Everyone seems to love Dilly @_@ Wooh... I do too XD But I love Van!   
**Vampira Roja: **haha thanks! I'm scared though, I think I'm losing my touch ;_;  
**Tommi Gurrl: **haha i have to end this fic, it's driving me mad @_@ i loved it so much though ;_;  
**me:** Haha it's not valentines day XD I changed my mind ^^;;  
**Ink: **Haha Jacob just got a prank played on him XP  
** Inuyashachic515:** Haha thanks  
**Supers4:** Yeah, I'm not very good at action though ^^;;  
**Dahee Fanel:** CONTINUE YOUR STORY NOW! XD Haha the song was "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge XP I'm not proud of this story anymore, i ruined it with this chapter ;_;  


A fast song started soon later, and Hitomi and Van looked at each other. Clearing his throat, Van was about to speak when they heard Dilandau and Yukari cackling. 

"Everyone come outside!" they chorused, eyes twinkling. Glad for a distraction from the awkward silence, the two turned towards the two mischief makers. 

With out much more coaxing from Yukari and Dilandau, the party went outside to see what had happened to Mr. Uchida. Laughter erupted from everybody's mouths as they saw him. Two cone party hats had been taped onto Jacob's chest to resemble the bra Madonna wore in the 80's, and they had taped his right hand so it looked like he was feeling his right "boob" up. Thick black eye lashes that seemed to stretch on until forever were glued to his eye lids. A neon purple wig had been shoved onto his brown locks, and they had cut his jeans into short shorts. Red high heels were tried on his feet, but alas, they did not fit and ended up resting on his toes. And the pictures. The millions and millions of pictures Yukari and Dilandau took of him using Millerna's Polaroid camera were scattered around him. Everyone had collapsed to the ground in hysterics, some of them grabbing some pictures for black mail purposes, as Jacob sat there unconscious, from Dilandau's hit and his state of drunkenness. 

"Nice work little brother" grinned Van, slapping Dilandau on the back, "But you'll never match my skill!" he added devilishly. Dilandau grinned and ran into Van's torso, knocking him over. 

"I'll show you skill" Dilandau laughed, about to hit Van with his fist. About 75% of the crowd gasped, afraid that something bad would happen. Sadly, very few seemed to understand that Dilandau and Van were best friends. Van rolled over before Dilandau could punch him and while Dilandau was still retaliating he kicked Dilandau jokingly in the ribs. 

"Ooh, skill" Van grinned, waving his fingers spookily. 

"Shut up" Dilandau huffily remarked, a smile spreading on his face as Van helped him up with his hand. 

"Just a tussle" winked Van at the crowd, and the group released a breath of relief and headed back into the house. 

"See you, I'm going to go take a walk with Yukari in the gardens" Dilandau called, his hand draped over her shoulder as the red haired girl leaned her head against his shoulder. Van smiled, and the only people left were Hitomi and himself. Feeling slightly more confident and cocky then before, Van nudged Hitomi gently in the side. 

"Want to have a tussle?" he grinned, and she laughed, smacking him on the head. 

"Thanks, but I have to work on my 'skill'" she grinned, shaking her head ruefully. 

"Well, if you don't want to have a good old brawl, would you like to go over to the beach?" he suggested, motioning towards the gentle water decorated by the reflection of stars. Hitomi nodded vigorously, and the two made their way to the grainy sand, removing their shoes allowing the texture to tickle their feet. Hitomi sat down near the shore, and occasionally a small tide would wash over her toes. Van made his way beside her, and resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulder. 

"So it's the new year" he said softly, looking down at the light brown sand. 

"Yeah" agreed Hitomi, taking in the beautiful scenery. 

"Any resolutions?" he asked, turning his head slightly towards her. 

"Mm..." she mused aloud. "Well, I suppose I'd like to keep up my grades" she supposed. 

"Is that all?" asked Van, cocking his head slightly. 

"Well..." Hitomi trailed off slightly, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. Normally, Hitomi would be experiencing the hot rush of heat she normally felt with Van. But now it was sort of lukewarm. 

_Why? I'm still attracted to him.... _

Hitomi turned her head to Van, and studied his calm profile. 

"I'd also like to understand a bit more about myself and.... Find love" she reluctantly confessed, looking down. 

"Really?" whispered Van softly. She nodded, blushing furiously. 

_'I'll teach you, bitch'  
'Let go of me, Jacob!'  
'I'd like to get a hold on you....'  
'You're drunk!'  
"...never let you go...."_

Hitomi felt fear run through her. _That's why you feel lukewarm, Hitomi. _She felt like punching Jacob across the face. She felt dirty. She felt like crying. The way he had touched her was horrible, and had it not been Dilandau she had no idea how far he would have gone. Van noticed Hitomi's sudden quietness, and looked at her. 

"Are you okay?" he asked. 

"Y-yeah, I just....Yeah" Hitomi finally came up with, forcing a smile. 

"Well...If you're sure..." he continued, searching her face for signs of what she was feeling. 

"I'm fine" she confirmed, nodding her head. Van didn't think so, but he merely nodded, and looked back at the water. "So...What are your resolutions?" inquired Hitomi after a while. 

"Oh me? Well... Spend less time on the ice and get my head into a book sometime.... And yeah, the love thing...I guess I agree on that too" he said quietly. They sat in silence, not noticing how close they had moved together from their starting positions. 

*** 

"You're hopeless!" exclaimed Millerna, flopping down on Van's bed. "You kissed her twice! She obviously likes you! You danced with her! There are no obstacles! AND ALL YOU DID LAST NIGHT WAS TALK!??! Why didn't you ask her out you nut job??" she complained, hugging Van's pillow. 

"She seemed sad" muttered Van, listening to Millerna interrogate him. 

"Well" softened Millerna "Then you could have comforted her" she sighed. "I know you like to do things at your own pace Van, but I'm telling you, if you wait too long you'll lose her again. Get together with her! I miss cocky Van" she pouted, and Van let a wry smile slip on his face. 

"I miss him too" he said quietly, and Millerna's heart fell slightly, as he ran his fingers along the rough blade of his hockey stick. Every time Millerna had caught Van glancing over at Hitomi and Jacob when they were still together, it pained her to see the expression in his brown eyes. His face would be emotionless, but his eyes. They broke her heart. And when Hitomi had finally broken up with Jacob... Millerna thought all would be fixed. But it was like Van was afraid. To him, it was like someone was offering him something, but if he would reach for it they'd snatch it away and laugh at him. He had been hurt many times in the past, and he had developed a slightly cocky personality to protect himself. 

_...Sadness is beautiful  
Loneliness is tragic  
Oh, so help me I can't win this war..._

"Don't" Millerna said quietly. 

"Don't what?" murmured Van, eyes concentrating on his hockey stick. 

"Don't give her up" 

*** 

"Dude, just ask her out!" yelled Dilandau exasperatedly, deflecting one of Van's shots at the net. 

"I can't" muttered Van, slapping another ball into the top left hand corner of the net. Dilandau flung his stick to the ground. 

"Van, she won't wait for you forever. Two guys asked her out last week, she said yes to one" started Dilandau. Van froze considerably in his spot. "...But she cancelled last minute." Letting a sigh of relief, Van slumped onto the pavement. He dug out the clavagh ring from his pocket. The sun reflected off the silver of the ring, and he inspected it carefully. It had taken him a full day to find that ring in Dryden's humongous house, and after much frustration, he had found it. He had meant to give it back to Hitomi... But he wanted to give it to her when he asked her. Out, that is. 

"The attraction's there" stated Dilandau, his eyes not matching his simple tone of voice. His auburn eyes softened slightly at his best friend on the floor. Van didn't say anything, didn't look up. "Your butt's going to get wet" teased Dilandau, motioning at the sparse gray white snow Van was sitting on. Letting out a small dry laugh, Van stood up. 

"I'll try." 

*** 

"Hitomi!" called Van, jogging after her exiting figure. Turning around, Hitomi's eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

"Oh yeah Van" she greeted, smiling. He stood there, catching his breath, cheeks cold from the February chill. Shoving his hands into his pocket, he took something out. 

"Um.... I found your.... Ring" he eventually said. Hitomi's jaw dropped. Taking her silence as a bad thing, he quickly added "Um... If you don't want to wear it, you don't have to--" 

"THANK YOU!" she screamed, jumping on to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He blushed slightly, and set her down gently. "I love this ring" she confessed quietly, as she slipped it on, heart facing out. Van ruffled his black hair slightly, unsure of how to phrase his words. 

"Hitomi.... Um...." he began, then stopped. 

"Mmhmm?" she pressed, looking innocent and beautiful. A slight wind brushed past them, and she shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her. 

"Do.... Erm.... Would you like to go.... Um.... Out with me sometime?" he managed, and suddenly his breathing was shorter, there was a slight buzzing in his ears, and he was afraid of her response. 

"Van I'd love to.... But.... I can't--" began Hitomi, before Van silenced her with his hand. 

"It's okay" he said quietly, putting on a confident smile. "I'll see you around" he said cheerfully. As he rounded the corner quickly, Van put on a masked expression. He left the school as quickly as he could, cursing himself for being so stupid. 

*** 

Van didn't' know who to talk to. He didn't feel like telling Millerna or Dilandau, in fact he planned to keep this to himself, as if nothing happened. For now, all he'd do was ache the pain in his heart and get over the girl who had captivated him for the longest time. 

*** 

The crowd in the hallway was extremely dense, and it was hard to navigate past all the chattering students. Van spotted Hitomi coming down the hall, and he lowered his head, blaring his walk man. She looked at him, trying to catch his eye, but he kept his eyes on the floor in front of him. Hitomi bit her lip slightly, and walked, turning her head slightly as his figure walked further and further away. She eventually fixed her gaze back ahead of her, sighing painfully, and Van turned his head to see if she was looking at him. Her head was straight in front of her, and Van cursed silently. _Of course she wouldn't be looking at you. She doesn't.... Doesn't..... _Van couldn't bring himself to think the words. Instead, he just steeled his brown eyes and kept walking resolutely down the hall. Hitomi turned her head one more time, just as Van rounded the corner out of sight. She tried to steady her breath, a numb feeling overcoming her limbs. 

*** 

"Dilandau, can I talk to you?" asked Hitomi quietly, watching the silver haired boy slam his locker shut with a bang. 

"Sure, no problem" he said in a friendly manner, and he heaved his back pack over his shoulder. The two headed out into the open air, as slush dirtied their shoes. 

"The thing is... Van....He asked me out a week ago" she began. 

"He did?!?" Dilandau exclaimed, shocked. "He didn't tell me!" _That bastard_ laughed Dilandau to himself with a grin. 

"Well.... I kind of said no to him" she mumbled. _So that's why Van was acting so funny this week. I thought it was something he ate. I remember the time he tried out a pickle milkshake and--_ Then it hit him. She said **no** to him.Dilandau had an expression on his face, something between a cross of understanding and wanting to smack Hitomi silly. 

"And?" he continued, his voice choked slightly. _Crazy fool! Why did you say no to him!??! _

"I do like him... A lot" she confessed, not meeting the boy's intense gaze. "It's just.... I haven't told anyone about what Jacob did" she said quietly. 

"Neither have Yukari and I" admitted Dilandau. "Never saw a reason to" he added with a shrug. 

"Well... I was sort of... Still recovering. And I needed time to just... Mend. He didn't give me time to explain and--" she continued. Dilandau nodded. Van was hurt easily, though he didn't show it, and he probably was too heartbroken to stick around. Dilandau didn't blame him. 

"You need to talk to him" said Dilandau simply. 

"He won't even look at me in the hall" she whispered, a slight bitterness seeping into her voice. 

"Just grab him by the shirt neck and demand to talk" grinned Dilandau. Hitomi let a sigh. She nodded, the two kept walking away from the building of Fanelia High. 

*** 

"Great game" Andrew smiled at Van, and the captain of the Black Hawks smiled slightly. 

"Yeah, we're in the play offs" he grinned, but suddenly his smile fell. Hitomi stood in the lobby of the Palas Arena, biting her lip, looking at Van with frightened green eyes. 

"Uh, I'll go now" said Andrew hurriedly, leaving the scene before Van could protest. He didn't want to face her. Not at all. 

"Van" said Hitomi quietly, taking a step towards him. He plastered on a smile. 

"Oh, hey Hitomi!" he said a little too loudly, clutching his hockey stick till his knuckles were white. 

"Relax" she whispered, placing her delicate hand on his arm. He didn't relax though, he couldn't. 

"So what's up?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. 

"Can we talk?" she asked, forcing him to gaze into her brilliant jade eyes. 

"Uh, sure." he finally stuttered out. "I can drive you home, we can talk in the car" he suggested, and she nodded. 

The car ride was quite unsuccessful, as neither of them uttered a word. Finally, they came to Hitomi's house. They sat in silence. 

"Van" Hitomi finally said, gathering courage. "The reason I said no--" 

"You don't have to explain" he said gently, looking down. He didn't need her pity. He couldn't handle it. To his surprise, she brought her soft hand up to his cheek and turned his face towards her. 

"Is because I wasn't ready. The thing is... Only Dilandau, Yukari and I know.... At New Years, Jacob was drunk and... He tried to.... He.... He sexually harassed me" She took a deep breath. Van's mouth dropped slightly. He though Jacob had changed schools because of the prank, not because.... Of that. 

"I needed time to mend, and when you asked me... I was so happy, but Van, I just wasn't ready" she said, her voice almost pleading. Van felt like a jerk. He had been to worked up over his own feelings to consider anything else. He felt like banging his head against the steering wheel. 

"I understand if you don't feel the same way anymore, I just wanted to tell you..." she said softly, stepping out of the car. Van sat there alone, dumbfounded. Hitomi opened the door to her house, and shut it gently behind her. Still Van didn't move. In shock, he slowly drove back home, as Hitomi sat alone in her bedroom, hugging her pillow to her chest. _ You can't expect him to feel that way forever, Hitomi._

*** 

"Ugh!" Millerna wailed, banging her head against her locker. 

"I know" nodded Dilandau, wishing her could pop somebody's head off. 

"They're so ANNOYING!" she complained, referring to Van and Hitomi. 

"She does have a reason though" he said quietly. 

"Why do they have to make everything so COMPLICATED!" she cursed, her violet eyes storming with different emotions. 

"I suppose we could just sit them both down and force them to kiss?" suggested Dilandau, smirking. Millerna thwacked Dilandau on the head, and rubbed her temples from the headache she was getting. 

*** 

"Hitomi?" came a painfully familiar voice. 

"Hey Van" said Hitomi quietly, toying with the edge of her shirt. 

"I just wanted to let you know that I will never be like Jacob. And that I really do care about you. That night... I was just sort of, shocked, you know?" Hitomi looked up at Van, unsure of where he was going. Her romantic side was being stifled down by her cynical side. _He probably just wants to be friends._

"And I was wondering.... If you're ready.... Well, when you're ready...." Van trailed off, not needing to complete his sentence. He began to walk away after she remained mute, but she suddenly called out his name. 

"Van!" she ran after him, closing the distance between them. "I.... I..... I'd love to go out with you tonight if you're free" she said, laying out her heart to him. She winced internally, as if he was going to step on it. He gently smiled, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her softly on the mouth, and a single tear trailed down her face from happiness. All those 5 months of confusion, hurt, longing were finally over. She felt safe and happy, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her, and the cold, drumming in her head was gone. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he deepened the kiss, and Van felt the heavy dizzy feeling in his head disappear with a light, giddy feeling. They parted, and looked into each other's eyes, smiling. 

"That's it! Okay! You two are going to get together NOW whether you like it or not!" came Millerna's voice, Dilandau desperately trying to drag her away. 

"Millerna--" started Van with a grin. 

"Uh uh! I'm not going to hear it, Fanel! You too, Kanzaki! Now tonight--" 

"Millerna! Let them do things by themselves!" Dilandau tugged on the girl's sleeve, slight irritation shadowing his features. Although he understood that Millerna was very frustrated, he occasionally wanted to smack Millerna when she got into super hyper over match maker mode. 

"They're giving me a headache!" 

"Will you give them privacy??" 

"Just let me smack some sense into them" 

"Both of you, shut up!" laughed Hitomi, wrapping her arms around Van's neck, and kissing him lightly on the nose. Dilandau and Millerna stopped bickering, both of their eyes widening. 

"We've sorted it out by ourselves, thank you very much" smirked Van, and Millerna and Dilandau stared, dumbfounded. Shaking their heads vigorously, Dilandau and Millerna stalked away. 

"No appreciation for what we've done" they muttered, slightly disappointed they weren't the ones to finally bring the two love birds together. 

"They'll get over it" smiled Hitomi, a devilish twinkle in her eye. 

"Or else we'll have to make them" Van laughed, kissing her lightly on the mouth. Rays of sunshine poured, causing the surrounding snow banks to sparkle, as the couple smiled, their new years resolution complete. Love. 

**AN: AHHH! I HATED THAT STORY! Okay, I used to love it when it was the whole cocky bit, but then I just lost the touch! *cries* I look forward to my next fic, I'm sorry, I've failed you all! *wails***

  



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